Kaunos, Turkey

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village of Dalyan, where a boat plies across the channel, flowing here through a marshy plain, to the monumental rock tombs of Kaunos on the west side. The fourth century B.C. tombs hewn from the steep rock face can be seen from a considerable distance. Investigations of the site by Turkish archaeologists since 1960 have suggested a dating in the first millennium B.C.

Note

In the 1980s Turkish and German environmental groups succeeded in preventing the construction of a luxury hotel in Dalyan Bay which was to be paid for with German development aid. This area is one of the last breeding grounds in the Mediterranean for the loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta) and it has since been designated as a protected area by the Turkish government. Nevertheless, in high season thousands of tourists still descend on the area by boat and by bus and their presence alone is endangering the existence of these rare creatures. It is therefore advisable to avoid the area.