| If you are looking for a unique yachting holiday or | | | | which are all now at the Museum except for one of |
| vacation, you should try a sailing voyage to ancient | | | | the lions that got broken in transit. Can Yucel, a |
| city of Cnidus in Turkey. Cnidus is an ancient site in | | | | well-known master of Turkish poetry has described |
| Turkey that is being closely studied by archaeologists | | | | Cnidus in two sentences: "Staring at it, looks greener |
| and historians. Ramazan Ozgan, the archaeology | | | | than the algea, Yet more blue, swimming a stroke." |
| professor of Konya Selcuk University in Turkey, who | | | | Aphrodite bathed in this water, according to the |
| has been presiding over the excavation studies in | | | | Greek mythology. Although Cnidus is one of the best |
| Cnidus for 16 years, is working with a group of 22 | | | | preserved areas, ignorance has taken its toll on this |
| students; in addition, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ehrhart from | | | | precious cultural site. Some valuable pieces have been |
| Freiburg University also is working to uncover the rich | | | | dragged out of the country due to greed and vanity. |
| heritage of Cnidus. Centuries ago Cnidus, originally a | | | | But what remains still provide a light on the richness |
| Phoenician settlement, was a major Dorian city, | | | | of the ancient past. Prof. Dr. Ehrhart is working on |
| celebrated for its temples, theatres, statue of | | | | the city plan of the ancient site, which, not |
| Aphrodite, the world's first observatory, and | | | | surprisingly, has never been searched thoroughly |
| medi¬cal school. Around 1000 BC the Dorians | | | | before. Cnidus was known worldwide in ancient times |
| invaded the southern part of Caria and established | | | | "I don't know whether 16 years of study was |
| the Dorian Hexapolis with the cities Cnidus | | | | suffering or pleasure" says Mr. Ozgan while adding |
| (Datça), Halicarnassos (Bodrum), Cos, Kamiros, | | | | that he's fond of the excavations he discovered with |
| Lindos and Lalissos. The last three of the cities were | | | | his students. "The Dorians founded these cities |
| in Rhodes. Cnidus was established at the same time | | | | around 1200 BC. As the seaborne trade developed, |
| as Halicarnassus (now Bodrum) around 800 BC. Later | | | | they stored their products in Northern Africa, in a city |
| on, according to Herodotus, a famous Greek | | | | called Naucratis to sell olive and olive oil to the whole |
| historian, who lived around 447 BC, | | | | world. And that's how Cnidus became among the |
| Halicarnas¬sus was excluded from the union of | | | | most wealthy cities of the world and became the |
| Greek city-states. The Union was then called the | | | | richest in Anatolia." Land of the taxfree Friends of |
| Dorian Pentapolis. Cnidus was the centre of this City | | | | Julius Ceasar lived in Cnidus, and being friends with |
| Union. It had an effective political and economic | | | | him wasn't only critical in a political sense but was also |
| structure considering the period and was an | | | | very important as an economic advantage. This state |
| important city with, colonies in Northern Sicily, from | | | | of affairs gave Cnidus a privilege; Ceasar anounced |
| the island of Lipari, to as far as Naukrati in Egypt. | | | | that this city would be free of tax and this led to |
| Apollon and Aphrodite were the symbols of the city. | | | | great prosperity and the citizens built fountains, |
| The engravings on the Cnidian coins used to bear | | | | schools and temples which can be partly seen today. |
| these symbols. But the most striking symbol of the | | | | At least they were helping each other! What have |
| city were the lions which stood on both sides of the | | | | our rich people done to help their cities? How and |
| harbour entrance. A colossal figure of a lion carved | | | | where do they spend their fortune? Cnidus was also |
| out of one block of mar¬ble, ten feet in length | | | | a leading clinical center of the world but again, this |
| and six in height, which is believed to | | | | fact doesn't come into prominence. Pieces are |
| commemo¬rate the great naval victory, the | | | | scattered all over the world The most glorious pieces |
| Battle of Cnidus, which ended the Spartan hegemony | | | | of the British Museum have been taken from here |
| in 394 BC! Philosophers, architects and the | | | | and damage was done to the ancient sites. The |
| astronomers of the ancient world were attracted to | | | | artifacts are easy to carry away via the sea and |
| this inspirational meeting point. The statue of | | | | rumors of smuggling have continued right up to |
| Aphrodite testifies to the cul¬tural refinement | | | | recent years. Have you dreamed of an enjoyable |
| of the city. One of the greatest mathematicians of | | | | holiday amidst the quiet of ancient ruins? Wouldn't |
| antiquity, Eudoxus was born in Cnidus. He discovered | | | | this be a perfect vacation? Imagine a land where the |
| the formula to find the volumes of the solids and | | | | fertility of the soil is boundless and from this rich soil |
| other mathematical demonstrations. He also devised a | | | | comes earthenware pottery from Paleothic Ages, |
| geometrical expla¬nation of the motions of the | | | | Assyrian metal coins, and statues that decorated the |
| sun, moon and planets along the zodiac. There's also | | | | Hittite cities and ancient Greek libraries. The ideal way |
| Praxiteles who carved the statue of Aphrodite for | | | | to live in the historical sites, is to join a "Blue Voyage" |
| the people of Cnidus. The statue was so highly | | | | with the comfortable atmosphere afforded by a |
| valued by them that they refused to sell it to King | | | | "Deluxe Gulet" or "Marmaris Yachts". You can also |
| Nicomedes, who was willing in return to discharge the | | | | have an experienced guide in the gulet (traditional |
| whole debt of the city. And there's Sostratus, | | | | Turkish sail boat), whose knowledge of the area is |
| architect of the Lighthouse of Alexandria. This great | | | | rich and whose personality is warm and humorous. |
| lighthouse was one of "the Seven Wonders of the | | | | The "Blue Cruise" in the crystal clear waters or |
| ancient world" . At one time in Cnidus, there was a | | | | "Turquoise Coast" could easily be the highlight of your |
| statue of a lion set on each breakwater, | | | | trip to Turkey. |
| commemorating the great naval victory won in 394 | | | | Gurhan Ebren is a retired naval officer and currently |
| BC, but in 1857, an Englishman by the name of | | | | runs El Paso Travel, a Marmaris travel agency |
| C.Newton visited the city and carried off a statue of | | | | specializing in yacht and gulet charters and cruises in |
| Demeter and some other statues including the lions, | | | | Turkey. |