Knidos

Knidos was an ancient town at the tip of the Datca peninsula. It was part of the Carian civilization,  a thoroughly civilized civilization which prospered through the export of fine wines. Active until the fall of the Byzantine empire, Knidos then fell into ruin, the whole huge site was virtually buried and the area deserted. In 1812, C T Newton of the delightfully named “Dilettante Society” led an expedition which excavated much of the site, uncovering several major temples, two theatres, an agora, extensive housing and a six kilometre long necropolis. He sent several major treasures, including a massive marble lion, a statue of the mother goddess Demeter and a solid gold vase back to the British Museum.

The small theatre, overlooking the anchorage

In 2014, Knidos was discovered by Carol and Terry Hogan aboard S/Y Common Sense, and they enjoyed a couple of days side-on to the quay in the harbour (you don’t appreciate how great this is unless you own an American boat designed to dock alongside!) and rambling through the ruins. The great thing about Knidos is that you are free to ramble. More and less accessible goat paths lead all through the complex and you are constantly making discoveries, even amongst the walls, where beautifully carved columns and blocks have been recycled, or the stones of the paths, where shards of terracotta pottery reveal cup handles, roof tiles, the conical bases of amphorae and occasional decorations and engravings. Only a handful of tourists were wandering through the ruins while we were there, so it was fun trying to mentally reconstruct the thriving metropolis that existed here a couple of thousand years ago.

  

Terry salvages the ancient Fender of Dionysis - sometimes the Sea Gods give you a freebie

 



It was very peaceful when we arrived at about 12:30 pm after a pleasant trip from Datcha – a couple of yachts at anchor and just us on the dock – but within a few hours the place was jumping. A dozen more yachts tied up, several gulets anchored,  and a whole charter fleet (under direction of our friends Mike and Debbie from Finike) came in as one fellow had been injured. We were all rafted up and several late boats were circling the anchorage looking for a spot. The restaurant did a roaring trade, despite tourist prices and we got ready for a noisy night. It didn’t happen, however; even the Polish charter with about a dozen huge loud blokes aboard ran out of steam early. Next day most of the boats set off in light southerlies (because most of them were heading south – wind on the nose is the default direction, as we all know.) We are cooking up some lamb fillets and fresh beetroot for dinner, then preparing the boat for an early departure and will make our way to Bodrum tomorrow morning, all being well.

Wild thyme in bloom amongst the ruins

 

The lighthouse on the tip of Datca Peninsula