Why The Marmaris Datca Peninsula Is My Arcadia?

In this article I will try to explain why the Marmaris - Datca Peninsula is such a special place for me. I have travelled Turkey very intensivily since 1984 and there is almost no major place where I haven't been. There are so many parts which are unique in natural beauty and social-historical intrique in this country. To give some examples. Cappadocia is a world-unique area. Kemaliye is a paradise. Kahta is an ideal combination of natural, historic and cultural wonder. The Bolkar Mountains is the most abandonned part of Turkey. The Kaçkar Mountains reminds me of the Swiss Alps. The lands around the Çoruh River come close to my ideal types of medieval landscapes. The mountains of Van and Hakkari appeal to my fantasies about the Wild Kurdistan as described by Karl May. The ruin-cities of Priene, Alabanda, Ouizanoi, Sardes, Xanthos and so many others have awakened in me dreams of becoming an Indian Jones myself. Mardin is the most beautiful of all Ottoman cities in Turkey, with its fantastic architecture, its narrow streets without traffic, its small souks and colourful population. I can add many other regions and towns, but I think above mentioned places give a good indication of what attracts me so much in this country. It is always a combination of  natural, historic and cultural beauty mixed with the atmosphere of present day live and the people living there that makes me enthousiastic.

Now I want to concentrate on the small and remote paradise on the Marmaris Peninsula, which the local people call Loryma and Betçe. It is a personal approach to this isthmus, but can also be read as more general introduction to this very authentic and special part of Turkey.

The first time I entered the Marmaris-Datca Peninsula was in early summer 1997. What struck me most was its natural beauty. Unspoilt beaches and lake-like inlets in the Mediterranean Sea, fantastic green scenery changing for dry semi-arid areas with bold mountains of strange shape and colour. A narrow winding road with no places to stop because on the right deep ravines, on the left steep rocks. The landscape changed all the time. And then there where viewpoints so beautiful, that even after ten years they never faded from my memory. Finally there was a spot where I could park my car. I saw six, seven or more mountain ranges on a row. Their colours changed from fresh green nearby into a green purple tone somewhere in the middle, to misty formations far away on the horizon. What I didn't know and couldn't see was that the last mountain ranges belonged to some of the Greek Dodecanese Islands. I had not yet arrived at the great Mediterranean waters, to see the divide between all this mountains and between Turkey and Greece.

After a drive of hours I finally reached some villages (1). I didn't learn their names. I only learned their small shops where I bought olives and bread, cheese and wine. I talked with the men in the teahouses. Easy going chatter full of laughter. Then I found me a beach so beautiful I'd never seen in my life. I stayed there for two days, living on simply but healthy village food. In those two days I lived like I always had wanted but never had held for possible. I lived like a Robinson Crusoe. Swimming, catching fish, making small fires of driftwood, reading a book, writing notes. Two unforgettable days in which I only saw one man: Friday. He was laughing when he saw me in my nudity. Hahaha. I laughed too. Finally another human being. He was collecting thyme, laurel and other herbs from the rocks and hills, selling them to villagers who prepared medical teas from them. We had a basic conversation about age-old divisions of labour. We loved it. 

The second time I came in a state of fatique. I had been working too much for too long (2). I settled in a small pension near Palamutbükü. I'm still always happy to see this cosy accomodation operating well during summer months. I made my first friends in Betçe -the local name for this western part of the peninsula. I met with fishermen and farmers in their cafes. At the time village women were running those small local pubs, like I  had seen in Greece. A local adaption to diminish quarrel and fight? I met fishermen in the harbours with whom warm chats easily happened. I met employees and owners of restaurants serving delicious home-made dishes. All friends of the first hour. I climbed the hills at the extreme point of the peninsula. From high above I had fantastic bird-eye views over the Mediterranean and Aegean seas and on the tiny island of Cape Crio, the natural breakwater in front of the ancient harbour of Cnidos. I sat contemplating on the high edgy rocks overlooking this grandiose view, while strong springtime winds tried to blow me off. The bold reddish rocks, the waves deep under me with their glittering patterns as far as the eyes could see and the Greek Islands on the horizon: green Kos,  stonewashed Yalli, vulcano-shaped Nissiros, feral Tilos, faraway misty Rhodes and nearby rocky Simi. Like a theatrical circle these Dodecanese Islands lay around me. It was obvious that Cnidos once was in the middle of Greek-hellenistic and Roman culture. With the exeptions of some minor details I saw a landscape not very much different from the times Carian or Roman seamen had sailed these waters.What a magnificent place! And imagine, the harbour of Cnidos still functions, after all these centuries. In recent years it became a favourite anchorage for voyagers along the Turquoise Coast.

Ofcourse I visited my most beloved beach again. Where I had met my Friday. But this time I met Timur who herded his small flock of sheep and a single cow. One of those days he asked me why I always went climbing the sharp rocks which according to him were to difficult to go there just for pleasure. I got the hint. He meant I was searching for antiquities as is the rule among villagers throughout Turkey. For many of them this is national sport number one, in which groups of men ruin remnants of antiquity in search for treasures. He tried to believe me when I told him that according to me the richnesses in the soil of a country belong to its inhabitants. He relaxed and then said: "I know what you are looking for". "Oh yeah?" I wondered. Our conversation continued for a while and some later we drove to  Timur's village. There he showed me a lovely old stone house. I liked the house but not its location. For me the ideal house on the countryside has a garden, and Timur's had not. No chance for him.

Curiously, from that day on I started searching for a pictoresque stone house in an ideal setting. It should be a typical house of the region, a one storey building made of rocks. And at least it should be situated in an almond or olive orchard, as this was so typical for the region. The place also should have a view on an ideal landscape and it should be close enough to a small, original hamlet to hear its agrarian noises and to do some small shopping. And believe me or not, after one day I found exactly what I was looking for. A whitewashed stonehouse used as a stable, its roof still intact, a nice almond orchard and a view on two conical mountains, my arcadic vulcano landscape. The house I bought some days later was of the same shape as the houses of Agia Roumeli, a village at the south end of the Samaria Canyon on Crete, with which I had fallen in love 25 years earlier! I knew for sure I would paint my house white and its window panes bright blue! A dream had come true.

But from that day everything changed in my arcadia. From a tourist I became a settler. My name changed into Hassan as the locals could not pronounce my real name. They started to intervene with my plans: ‘you should do this and that .... you should do things such and not so ... don't contact with him, her, them and those'... And so on. 

They wanted to protect me from the bad and they tried to convince me of their goodness. They brought me the healthy food of the villages: their ecological whole-corn bread, olives and pure olive oil, their cheese and unsprayed fruit, their vegetables and homemade wine. Everything and without gaining anything from my presence. We ate and drank together. We had lots of fun. And we quarreled too. One time they wanted me for village elder. Another time they dispiced me. And after four, five years our relationship became more well-balanced.

In the villages of Betçe almost everybody knows me now, for the good and the bad. Most people still support me, because they have seen I am not much different from them: same habbits, same strange turkish dialect, same old stone house, same old guy. The only differences are my nationality and my education. But most importantly: we still can quarrel and have fun.

Nowadays I have forgotten how many times I visited the beautiful Marmaris-Datça Peninsula. But I hope never to forget the wonderful experiences that I lived there. The nights on the beaches. Sometimes with party people, sometimes with nature lovers, sometimes all  allone. I have slept on almost all beaches, sometimes sandy, sometimes stoney, sometimes directed north, sometimes southwards. I walked along inlets and bays with cristal clear waters and aquarium like aquatic life. Sometimes, even during summernights we had to make fires to protect us against the cold. Deep at night we witnessed huge carretta carrettas crawling from the sea to find a place for their eggs. At daybreak we saw tiny newborn carrettas searching their way to the sea where their mamas had come from, months earlier. One early morning we witnessed the movements in a turtle egg. It tested our patience to see how the it bulged, broke and how a minuscule wrinkle shaped caretta tried to get out. Wondering if such a poor creature would make it in the wild sea, we followed it as a camera crew. After its maiden walk to the waves it started to swim. Like nothing was wrong. But after some strokes tiny carretta carretta seemed already totally exhausted. It spiralled down. An underwater wave took the poor creature meters away. Again it made some strokes. Its last ones. Nature had given life and took it away just within minutes of time. 

Other days we snorkelled with our children and friends between rocks, seaweed and fish. Or we sojourned far away from the deep blue seas, spending our time in green forests searching mushrooms or wild animals. We found wild boar on our walks in the woods. During night walks we sometimes encountered foxes, badgers, stray dogs and jackals. The izards on Boz Mountains were much easier to trace. Unforgetable are our strolls through the dunes along Emecik Beach, finding all those varieties of flowers and tiny animals (3)

We drove cars and motorcycles while visiting the bars of Datca and the big discos in Marmaris. We walked and biked from Marmaris to the woodlands of Eastern Loryma. We took showers in the icy waters of Şelale, i.e. the waterfalls. We toured through the hot and dry mountainland of West Loryma. Here is an area so strange, so unearthy..... You know you are close to the surrounding villages but in the meantime you feel yourself far away from every human presence. Like someone has put you into a time machine. The few minutes drive from the hamlet of Bayır to this strange spot seems to have turned into hours of travel. Everywhere around are steep grey rocks of Karst-formations. Only maquis and holm oak live here. And turtles. The only thing you hear is the wind or a rare insect passing by. In summer it's hot like a vulcano. And no single sign of modern times. Everything you see, the rocks, the trees, the grasses and flowers, the chameleons are as old as the stars above! Walk here for an hour or longer and you'll feel as if you are exploring another planet.

We went to idylic places like Selimiye and Söğüt, to discover another village. It reminded me of the abandonned hamlets of south France. It had an fantastic medieval atmosphere. Bent men and shrivelled ladies in amorphous clothes roamed the streets as in a movie. We revealed a huge open space in the forest with tens of wells. Ruins of a Roman temple mingled with the bushes and holm oak. It all had  something of a biblic appearance. Far away a crooked creature in torn black gown drow water from a well. Too strange for pictures and almost too weird for words too. I call it ancient, medieval, surrealistic, those timeless places without electricity, without modern noises, and filled with mysticism and history. To me it is such a lovely contradiction to see remnants of ancient and high cultures mixed with the simplicity of current live, like in these villages. It is the scholarly example in practice that progress is not always and everywhere unilineair!

This all is in short my Arcadia. A non-existing idealized landscape in a real country.

This tiny part of the world, so great in all its variations, appeals to me. It is my-dreams-come-through paradise. Here I discover so many things in real life that once I learned from books. From erosion and the destructive powers of an hurricane to the live of bees and grasshoppers. From ancient temples to oxen towed ploughs. And last but not least: from people who are the living remnants of high civilizations far as 2.300 years ago like Carie and Cnidos, who are currently peasants but very close to become world citizens again.

Because it is also a paradise once again drawn into the dynamism of world progress. New roads, cruise yachts, satelite TVs,  homecomputers and internecafes, and local youth and eldery people alike who are mixing with visitors from all over the world. In short, lifestyles are changing once again in Datca and Marmaris. The peninsula is globalizing

It's like living in a (National Geoghraphic or Discovery) documentary, when spending time on the Marmaris-Datca Peninsula.

If  the above described way of spending time in an unknown area appeals to you, you're my traveller. That's why I like to share my experiences with you.

I hope one day we'll explore the Loryma-Betce isthmus together.

Istanbul, Februari 19th, 2009,  (Copyright) gerard oude hergelinck

 Notes :

(1)  Today it takes one hour from Marmaris to Datca (78km/52mls). 

(2)  On 17th August and 12th November 1999 heavy earthquakes  -7.6 and 7.4 on the Richter-scale-  hit the Marmara-Region. An area from Istanbul to Bolu (600 x 50 km2) was effected. 20.000 people lost their lives, 40.000 people were heavily injured and 250.000 people became homeless. A worldwide campaign for relief of the victims started immediately after the catastrophe. I worked 2½ years in the region as logistic coordinator for a Dutch relief organisation.

(3)  This is now a nature reserve without public entrance.

We are very happy to see our website among those others with their great sustainable accomodations and activities. Thank you Shaun and the WHL team. We think it's now and here the right time and place to show our view towards sustainability.
Our approach is a ‘holistic' one. That means a whole, a complete view to the existing things. We don't believe that you can develop one thing by neclecting other things. For example you create a beach paradise for people coming only for a period of 2 months a year, and in the meantime forgetting the lives of the original inhabitants! We think such one-way projects results into destroying very valuable things like historic, human and natural resources. As holistics we do not concentrate only on accomodation, restaurants or transportation services, but we also look at things which belong historical and natural to our destination. Our first emphasis in the holistic approach is always on socio-economic features. We try to discover which economic activities once were, which are now, and which will have a potential to be again. In the meantime we look at power relations now and over time. This is very important if you want to be an actor too in your destination. You have to know "Who's The Boss", because without Him, Her or Them you cannot achieve anything! We will leave this subject for another time. Now we'll focus on the projects we see if looking through the holistic point of view.

We noticed that in our destination most people have lost very important sources of income over the last 40 years, for which no alternatives came into being. This resulted in (more) depression and alcoholism, especially among men. And to buy their ‘pills and booze' many families started to sell land to foreigners or to real estate brokers. The net-effect of this development finally will be: the original people move out where foreigners move in. Or in anthropological words: peasants turn into migrant laborers, dwelling in city slums. In our eyes this is a very negative, uneven development, in which we do not like to be a participant! We have seen this type of ‘development' at all mass-tourist places around the world!
A holistic approach to development includes the local people in their historical habitat and also includes all features that are beautiful and interesting for travellers. Big tourism-developers could have practiced the holistic approach already for many decennia, but simply neglected it. Their notion of "looking forward" was very limited to just looking forward in the direction of the sea. Their touringcars are entering a beach resort more often than not through a forest of slum dwellings, where every ordinary, natural designed habitat has been destroyed. And where white tourists on yellow beaches try to get red within as short as possible a time, where once lied the colourful fisherboats of the original community. Lets get rid of these destroying mass-tourism practices. Its highest time to make tourist projects in the holistic and sustainable way. We are obliged to the original people, the righteous owners of the land, and to our children!

Lets give an example of the approach we exercise and you'll see how it creates a chain-reaction of projects. Here we go: travellers attracted by sustainable tourism also tend to like ecological food and drinks. So why not stimulate the farmers in our destination with their biological agriculture? And why not stimulating cooperatives for obtaining eco-certificates which are currently too expensive for single peasants. We also have local customs on the brink of fanishing, like baking the typical round home made bread. Why not stimulate local women to bake for restaurants and accomodations in the region? We try to stimulate this through our "Village Bread Baking Project" (www.marmaris-datca.travel/tours/activities). FIT's participating in this project will spend one day with a peasant family, taking fire wood from the forest, preparing dough, talking with hands and feet, exchanging pictures, maybe buying almonds and olive-oil from the village women -earning them income (very important in traditional peasant communities). FIT will pay for this project. Part of the money goes to the peasant family, another part goes into the cash desk of the village elder to be used for restauration of the house ovens. This easy project shows many different things at once: (1) maybe the local custom of bread baking continues, as this project turns a peasant product into a marketable one. (2) The women earn income herselves. (3) And the traveller stimulates to produce and consume a healthy product from the region. This can instigate the wellbeing of the villagers and the continuation of the villages themselves! We think eco-travellers and peasants alike will love such projects.

Furthermore, we look if typical economic practices from the past can be revived. For example we think that in our destination wine-culture and cattle herding should be revived. Local wine production creates jobs, plus better and cheaper wine than locals buy now. And travellers will love a local wine with their dinner. Herding and cattle was a very important source of income till 2000. Then something happened that needs to be uncovered. Only then we think herdsmen and their families can return on the beautiful hills of Cnidos. According to K. Marx cattle is the oldest form of capital and the word itself derives from cattle. Cattle belongs to peasant villages like the sun to sandy beaches. Cattle is stock, it generates surplus, diary, meat and jobs. A healthy flock generates 25% of offspring! More than a sound bank can offer! Another very interesting feature of herding is that it creates a natural balance between cattle and pastures. All herdmen know that overgrazing will harm both pastures and animals. An important biological side effect of herding is the increase of bio-diversity on the pastures. Dung and the constantly grazing is damming the dominance of maquis, thus producing a wide variety of flowers, grasses and herbs. As you see cattle breeding has a lot of advantages. Advantages for the locals, for nature and for the traveller. We think that almost everybody loves ‘the romantic picture' of herdsmen with their flocks on the hills. The traveller even might like to sleep in the herdsmen cottages. We'll work for you to realise this! And so many travellers love peasant utensils and ‘traditional' items like their furniture, blankets, tablecloths, rugs, oil lamps, sickles, and so on. So why not stimulate the farmers to continue the production of these items?

In the meantime we also look at alternative means of transport. From traditional to ultra-modern ways. For example on the ultra-modern side, we saw the other day a huge tanker with a kite-surf sailing into the harbour of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. With 10 - 30 % less energy consumption! Why not stimulating this development along the shores of our destination? And then, we like our travellers to walk or to bike through our destination or to surf along its coasts. Why not designing B2B's for them in our destiny? Sometimes overnighting in a tent in nature, sometimes in a pension or a village home? We like groups of travellers hiking with donkeys along the old patikas (footpaths) from village to village, in search for the last jackal, wildcat or mountain goat?
And believe it or not, we too like to drive a car or a motorcycle over the exciting winding roads of ‘our' peninsula. And sometimes we want to jetski over the high waves along the Turkish Cote d'Azur. That's O.K.! But why not let us pay for the pollution with a ‘tree-tax'? With the trees to be planted on officially assigned areas, creating new forests on places where once forest fires raged?
However, in our spare time we mostly prefer snorkeling and scuba-diving to enjoy the beautiful underwater-world in our destination. But what a pity that we clearly see that most of the fish consumed on the peninsula nowadays has to be brought in from outside. Aren't there technological possibilities to bring the amount of fish of let's say 40 years ago back to these waters? In the sake of our 'holistic' view, we have to examine these things.

As a foremost conclusion we think the local people of our destination are able to combine tourism activities with their traditional economy. To put it simple: every house can be an accomodation and by extending the vegetables garden every family can feed its guests. In general this means: accomodations build by the community, and other services run by the local people will increase regional income and will keep people from migrating.
We believe that every WHL-destination has one or more sustainable options. And we think that by looking to your destination in the ‘holistic' way, you also will find chains of sustainable projects. If you need help we will look at possibilities to function as your consultant. We wish you succes in your sustainable efforts. And we're looking forward to see your CfD rates going upward. With kind regards, Senda & Gerard.

Marmaris, with its splendid coastline, is often referred to as the Turkish Riviera. And that's more than deserved, as sophisticated accomodations, marinas, restaurants and nightclubs are updated every year to the latest standards and fashions. Combine this with the unspoilt hinterland less than an hours walk from its centre.

You can enjoy the vibrant but easy going beach life at Marmaris City. You will find more than one restaurant of your style and taste. And you can dance the night away in some of the most famous clubs of the country.  

Or, rent a bike to discover the original villages with hospitable people and interesting tales to tell. Bike through forests and orchards of olive and almond trees. Enjoy the often breathtaking vistas.

And see, here you've got a most ideal holiday destination, where dynamism of the city meets the peace and quiet of the countryside. We wish you a rich and pleasant holiday experience.

Marmaris is encircled by mountains which capture the heat, making even the winters very mild. The temperature of the water is always comfortable and no particular winter clothing is required. Nights can be a bit chilly but frost is a rarity. There are occasional storms and heavy rains which last for a very short while. In summer, temperatures can touch almost 42 degrees Celsius and dehydration is a distinct possibility. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Marmaris. But at all times, Marmaris maintains a weather that requires nothing more than a light jacket or a T shirt. 

A typical feature of the climate of the area is the mostly cool breeze that is constantly blowing, helping to keep the humidity and heat low. Only when the wind falls down, the weather can become disagreeable, however, this is exceptional to the normal weather.

In Turkey, visiting the bath is a social ritual that provides people an opportunity to catch up with friends and pass time. Hamam, as the Turkish bath is known, with all its accompanying rituals, is very central to Turkey's culture. The baths are marble enclosures where you lie down on a belly stone called ‘gobek tasi'. The ‘tellak' or the masseur proceeds to give you a massage with soap and then a good rub down. Do not miss this uniquely Turkish experience.

Just 30 km from Datca is Knidos, a place which has been home to many famous people. Sostrates, the architect who designed the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, lived in Knidos. The famous philosopher and mathematician Eudoxos, the sculptor Praxiteles, Bryaxis and Skopas all lived in Knidos. The drive from Datca to Knidos becomes more exiting with every mile you advance the ruin city, as the road winds through picturesque villages and mountains covered with forests. It is adventureous too, as the final part of the drive is on a narrow, mostly unpaved and twisted road, sometimes straight above the deep blue sea.

The Datca region is renowned for 3 Bs - balik (fish), badem (almonds) and bal (honey).

Datca was once a small body of water that was almost inaccessible. But today this peninsula is becoming a popular tourist destination. A beautiful winding road lined with pine covered ravines takes you from Hisaronu to Datca. This scenic road offers sudden peeks of the deep blue sea and ambles through a few small picturesque villages.

Most of the life in the region is centred around its harbour. Set among scenic surroundings, the Datca harbour entices the tourist with its cheerful and laidback atmosphere. Bustling with summer settlements and a noisy and vivid nightlife, the region epitomises the Turkish spirit of hospitality, friendliness, sophistication and fun against the backdrop of a certain serenity.

The most important area of Datca is Resadiye and is located just a few kilometres away from the harbour Tourists have a choice of staying at any of the modern hotels or on any of the boats in the harbour. Do not miss the cruises on the traditional wooden gullet boats which enable you to explore the numerous scenic coves and bays around this region.

A refreshing change from new Datca, Old Datca is a quaint little village full of limestone houses and villas hidden behind honey suckle and bougainvillea covered walls. These villas were built originally by the Greeks who lived here till around 1923. Many of them have been restored and renovated by both Turks, Americans and Europeans, leaving the old world charm intact.

Apart from the modern hotels and traditional villas, Datca has also seen the rise of a few large scale vacation villages by entrepreneurs who wish to cash in on the tourist influx. Datca, along with the rest of the south western region of Turkey, is grappling with the conflict of preserving the natural beauty and heritage of this region and yet building up large scale tourism infrastructure that will boost the tourism sector. Local administrators and the inhabitants of Datca are very clearly in favour of encouraging tourism with the help of family inns, pensions and small boutique hotels that will not disturb the natural beauty and the flora and fauna of the region.

The people of Datca once eked out a living from piracy. Today, however, their income comes from the cultivation and sale of almonds, honey, olives, fruits and vegetables and of course tourism.

Almonds from the province of Mugla are famous all over the world. Datca, situated in the Mugla region, has produced almonds for hundreds of years and has over a million trees. It is an age old practice to plant an almond tree on the birth of a girl child so that its proceeds will pay for her dowry. These almonds are nurtured in a traditional manner and therefore the yield is less. The almond trees bears fragile white flowers for a very short period between January to March, and harvest is highly sensitive to the weather prevailing at this time.

Every Saturday, the residents of Datca lay out a market on awning covered streets, with tables full of merchandise. As you go on, you'll find that there are no unusual knick knacks, antiques or handicrafts here. The tables are full of household items, shoes and second hand Western wear. So give them all a miss and head for the women at the fruit and vegetable stalls, some sporting white scarves on their heads. This is where you can pick up some interesting produce along with some unusual cheeses, nuts and spices. Do haggle over the prices, as they expect you to.

After the market, you can cool off with a massage and bath at the old Hamam or Turkish bath that is situated close to the market.

If you thought only elephants enjoyed mud baths, then a visit to the mud baths of Marmaris will convince you otherwise! These mud baths are not only thoroughly enjoyable but extremely therapeutic and relaxing as well. It is a unique experience where you immerse yourself in a mud pool, lie in the sun till the mud dries up, and then bathe it off in a pool with water heated to almost 40 degrees Celsius. If you do not wish to wallow in mud, do visit the mud baths anyway as the entire exercise is certainly worth capturing on film!

To reach the mud baths, you can take a boat cruise that departs from Marmaris and sails along Dalyan River. Along the way, you can visit the royal tombs on the slopes of the cliffs running by the river. These tombs were built in fourth century BC. You can also stop by the Turtle Beach, a beautiful beach which is the breeding ground for rare turtles.

In 1545, the Ottoman Turks built the Kervansaray. A stone structure with seven small rooms and one big one, the Kervansaray is encircled by arches. Today, these rooms have been converted into shops that sell mementos and knick knacks.

In 1522, Suleyman the Magnificent built an inn on the Mugla Highway at Iskelebasi. This monument is situated about 10 km from Marmaris.

Bedesten, called the Grand Bazaar, takes you back into the annals of time. Here you can shop for anything from antique prayer beads to water pipes and from inlaid work to walking sticks, against the backdrop of historical and age old buildings. Bedesten is a shopaholic's paradise.

The Tomb of Sariana stands on the slopes that lie to the northeast of Marmaris. The locals believe the tomb to be the site of many oracles even today. The Tomb and the adjoining mosque that was built recently are two interesting places worth a visit.