September 2023

Our next stop was
Isene Bükü (Iasos) 37°16.962'N,27°35.367'E

Isene Bükü is a large bay near the ancient city of Iasos, at the head of the fourth, and easternmost, "finger inlet" of the Güllük Korfezi. The archaeological site of Iasos is located on a short peninsula separating a narrow inlet to the west, and the wide bay of Isene Bükü to the east. After taking a short cruise around the inlet, whose entrance is marked with the remains of an Ottoman castle, and whose shores were crowded with visiting yachts stern-tied to the shore, and local fishing boats bobbing on moorings, we opted to anchor instead in Isene Bükü, which was devoid of other boats.


Lots of space

The next morning, I took our kayak for a paddle along our side of the Iasos peninsula, floating on the calm water. I could see birds flitting from bushes and branches on shore, and hear them calling.



Eventually I beached our kayak, and scooped up a handful of beach sand for our collection. Here, it was composed of small pebbles, with bits of marble, and other pieces of ancient structures, thrown in.



I followed a cow track up from the beach, into the interior, where I found groves of ancient olives trees, their thick trunks braided and gnarled.


Old olive trees

Also scattered around the cow pasture were ancient ruins! Here and there, among the cow pies, thistles, and olive trees, crumbling structures stood...





...or lay.




Not in a park or an archaeological site, not tended nor curated, but just hanging out in the cow pasture,





silent sentinels - some falling apart, others in pretty good nick - remnants of prior civilizations from hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of years ago.





I spent a couple of hours wandering among the olive trees and ruins, imagining the lives of the other people who had lived there, and what the structures must have looked like in their prime.





And birdwatching. I saw quite a few birds, including a new one for me, a Red-backed Shrike (Lanius colluris).


Red-backed Shrike (Lanius colluris)
Photo from eBird

When I paddled back to Awildian, I could hear the dulcet tones of Eric playing his bass. He usually wears headphones, and only plays out loud when I'm not around, so I don't often get to hear him.

The next day, Eric and I took our dinghy around the end of the peninsula, past the Ottoman castle, and into the narrow cove on the other side.

Scenery along the way...





Remains of the Ottoman castle in the harbor entrance





We spent the next few hours exploring the "official" Iasos archaeological site, which was fascinating.


Map of the site



Layers upon layers upon layers of civilizations, from the 3rd Millennium BC until the 16th Century AD, all built in the same place, one on top of the other.


Ancient ruin, modern lizard

Unlike the feral ruins I'd seen the day before, these had been excavated, studied, curated, and prepped for viewing.




A modern dog

The newer (only centuries old) structures included a classy amphitheater,





whose stone seats had carved lions' feet - some even with claws! -



and a big civic area, with dozens of columns.





The older structures included many watercourses and drainage culverts, criss-crossing over and under each other.



There was even a sleuth of archaeologists (yes, that's the actual collective noun for them) hard at work excavating new discoveries while taking refuge from the searing midday heat beneath a large tarp.




Old and new



If you'd like to learn more about Iasos, this is a good place to begin: https://turkisharchaeonews.net/site/iasos