Olympos

:Olympos is a common variation of Olympus. This article refers to a National Park in Turkey. For other meanings of Olympus, see Olympus (disambiguation).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Olympos is a valley at the south coast of Turkey, 90km southwest of Antalya.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The history of Olympos is still mysterious. The city was set up in the Hellenistic period. Olympos took its name from Mount Olympos (Mt. Tahtali).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The coins of the city are dating back to the 2nd century BC. The city became one of the six leading cities of the Lycian federation, that had the right to vote. In the 1st century BC, Olympos became a settlement area for the pirates since they were so fond of the place.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 78 B.C. the Roman commander Servilius Isaurieus added the city to Roman territory and this was the end of the pirates. Hadrian visited the city after which it took the name of Hadrianopolis for a period, in honour of the emperor.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As a member of the Lycian federation, the city was invaded by the Cilician pirates until 78 B.C., ending when it became a part of the Roman Empire.

Related Topics:
Lycia - Cilician - Roman Empire

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Near Olympos, about 200 meters above sea level, some eternal flames, called "Chimaera" are seen to come out of the ground.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Chimaera - or Chimera - was said to be made out of three different creatures: lion, goat and serpent. A savage beast, sprouting fire from its mouth, it devastated the land until it was killed by the hero Bellerophon who flew over it riding his winged horse Pegasus and bombarded the Chimaera with molten lead.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Scientists are as mystified as the people of ancient times as to how fire spontaneously erupts from holes in the mountain.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The fuel source for the flames is natural gas seeping through cracks in the earth. Scientists are still unable to discover the compounds of the gases.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Middle Ages, Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians built two fortresses along the coast, but by the 15th century Olympos had been abandoned. Today the site inspires tourism, not only for the artifacts that can still be found (though fragmentary and widely scattered), but also for its scenic landscapes of wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, and wild figs and pines.

Related Topics:
Venetians - Genoese - Rhodians

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~