The town and area around Fethiye are beautiful, and to describe it to its fullest, I am cheating and using "Fethiye Tourism Office" guide, which describes everything in much more details than I can. This is what they say to entice tourists to visit their particular area!

Introduction:

One is at a loss for words to describe the beauty of Fethiye. If you are incurably addicted to exploring new horizons and are a lover of nature, this is the right address. What is it that makes these shores so delightfully indented with innumerable coves and bays so fascinating? Is it a web of antique secrets, or is it an unbelievably unadulterated nature that makes it so alluring? Perhaps it is a bit of everything, who knows?

To wonder through the bays of Fethiye is an adventure, exuberance, a spring of joy. While passing from one to another, the glamour that spreads out before your eyes is enhanced by the silhouettes of tiny islands, which lead you astray. Fethiye, described by foreigners years ago as "a unique paradise bestowed unto the world by God" is an exceptional site, with all its bays, inlets and islands.

History:

Fethiye is located on the Lycian and Carian border and was called Telmessos in antique times.

"Apollon, The Lycian God, falls in love with the younger daughter of Agenor, the Phoenician King. In order to get closer to this timid young girl, he becomes a tiny, lovable dog. When the girl warms up to him, he makes his true identity known and they become lovers. After a while a son is born to them named Telmessos. This is where Fethiye's name is derived from in antique times."

In the absence of accurate information regarding the exact date of its first foundation, based on the oldest written documents available, the town must have been in existence since the V century B.C. and was called "Telebehi". The same name was also observed on silver coins remained from the same century.

Telmessos was for a long time an independent city separate from the Lycian Union. In 545 B.C. the Persian King Cyros's compatriot Harpagos conquered Telmessos together with some Carian cities. After that Telmessos, together with the Lycians, became the first satrapy. The city joined the Attic-Delos Union towards the middle of the 5th century B.C., broke away from this union from time to time when participating in various rebellions, but was involved with the union until the 4th century B.C.

In the 4th century B.C. Telmessos was joined to the Lycians by Pericles of Limyra, who wished to establish the Union of Lycia. It is said that when Alexander the Great was on his Asian Campaign in 333 B.C., he stopped at Telmessos when the city opened up its doors without any apparent resistance. It is also said that this was by way of a successful stratagem.

"The armies of Alexander, during his Anatolian Campaign, stop at the port of Telmessos. Nearchus requests Antiparides, the governor of the city at the time, to allow the entry of musicians and slaves into the city, and permission is granted. The slaves presumably carrying musical instruments are in fact armed warriors. During the night, when festivities are going on, the warriors arrange a surprise attack and conquer the acropolis."

After Alexander, the city was for a long time governed by the Ptolemy Dynasty. In 189 B.C. the Romans defeated Antiochus, conquered Anatolia and gave Telmessos to Bumenes, the King of Pergamum, under their command. After the fall of the Kingdom of Pergamum in 133 B.C. Telmessos became a member of the Lycian Federation and became one of the six major cities of this Federation.

During the 7th century particularly, Telmessos was weakened by the raids of the Arabs and lost its prominence. One source relates that in the year 1204 the Byzantian and the Turkish boundary went as far as Telmessos and the city was under Byzantian rule. In 1284 the city was conquered by Menteseogullari, and became subject to Ottoman rule in 1424. Its name Makri during the Ottoman rule, meaning far-away land, was changed to Fethiye in 1914.

According to one story, Telmessos was founded by a prophet and thus the city was bestowed with the power of prophecy. The best-known prophets of the archaic ages came originally from this city. The prophets of Telmessos were always prominent and most respected.

"One day an eagle landed an the yoke of the ox-cart belonging to Gordios, King of Phrygia, and the prophetess from Telmessos was asked to interpret this. The girl, not abusing her special powers, gave such a prophecy that Gordios was enchanted and immediately married her. A son was born to them, named as Midas, famous for his ears."

Fortune-telling is still quite in fashion in Fethiye today.

Nature and Climate:

During the 3rd geological era Fethiye region has been exposed to many tectonic movements which resulted in depressions and uprisings and caused the formation of high hills as well as bays and promontories on the shore line. Depression valleys were filled by the sea and became bays and gulfs penetrating the land, creating a terrestrial paradise.

Whole region excluding Fethiye and Esen lowlands is covered with high mountains forming the southwestern spurs of the Taurus Range. These mountains exceeding 2000 meters (over 6,500 feet) extend over the coast line. On a sunny winter day it is a real pleasure to view the pines and snow decorated peaks intertwine with the blue. Besides the refreshing woody slopes with thyme, sage, laurel and pine trees, the exceptional storax forest is another peculiarity to Fethiye region. Covering a 247-acres area the storax forest is an ideal camping site and daily visiting place. Balsam obtained from storax trees has pharmaceutical and cosmetic value and is also used as fumigation in mosques and churches.

Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters prevails in the region. Temperatures are approximately 30 degrees C (86 F) in summer and usually not less than 10 C (50 F) in winter. Sea temperature is hardly below 16 C (61 F) all the year round.

Communication:

Fethiye is connected to all other cities in Turkey by three highways via Mugla, Antalya and Burdur. Roads are in good condition, yet in parts with frequent curves due to the natural structure. Reaching Fethiye is very easy by scheduled coaches from and to the three main directions. Dalaman international airport is as close as 50 kilometers (about 31 miles) to Fethiye. During the peak season one can find many flights from major European cities to Fethiye, besides the domestic flights throughout the year by Turkish Airlines. Additionally Antalya Airport, three-hour drive to Fethiye, is another departure point.

Fethiye sea-port, with its sheltered natural structure, is an important stop for yachtsmen. Fethiye is also a lively export harbor being accessible for larger ships. Turkish Maritime Lines is as well schedules to Fethiye during summer.

Trade and Commerce at Fethiye:

In Fethiye, with its abundant and fertile land, agriculture and agrarian trade is of major prominence. Therefore, in various holiday resorts when it becomes quiet at the end of the season, life in Fethiye flows on throughout the 12 months.

Hot-housing and open farming for vegetables and cotton growing are the major agricultural income sources. In bee-keeping and honey production, the potential is on a large scale. Furthermore, there is a large supply of chromium ore and Fethiye is an important export port of this mineral in Turkey.

The climatic conditions permit almost all kinds of vegetables and fruit to be cultivated. In the market, any day of the week one can find seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables in abundance, but watch especially for the bustle on Tuesdays and Fridays. The special nature of contact between the producer and the consumer that may be witnessed in town markets is further enhanced and is fascinating on market days. Village women trying to sell their home-made yogurt and cheese; the sing-song verses surrounding the fishermen's counter, the butchers, the fruit sellers and in every corner people exhibiting the end-product of their own effort-- "Come and see, my loved ones, the Market Day in Fethiye".

Life at the market and the shops around starts early in the morning and gives opportunities to locals and tourists during daytime. Souvenir shops are located around the Turkish Bath and the Old Mosque. During peak season one can buy leather goods, carpets, rugs, jewelry and other souvenirs, besides Turkish fashion clothes from these shops which stay open until late hours.

Sites To See:

Telmessos was a very prominent city and center of prophecy, pledged to Apollon, in the antiquity. That the city life was rich and highly cultured during the Hellenistic and Roman periods is evident from the existing monuments.

The French explorer C. Texier who first came to Telmessos in 1850 writes that the Temple of Apollo and the theater were very well preserved at that time. Shortly afterwards an earthquake in 1856 caused these monuments to crumble! During the 1957 earthquake whatever was left standing was flattened. Today's Fethiye was totally rebuilt after that last earthquake. The oldest building still standing is the old mosque, which was built by order of the Algerian Hasan Pasha in 1791. Similarly, the Turkish Bath built in 1890, which attracts tourists during summer months, and a number of old houses scattered on the slopes are interesting to see.

Today the majority of antique ruins in Telmessos are rock-tombs and Lycian-type sarcophagi. The rock-tombs are the most interesting Lycian sites in the region. The tomb of Amyntas, which could be considered as the insignia of Fethiye, strikes the eye with its grandeur on the slopes as you enter the bay. This tomb, whose facade was built as an Ionian temple based on the plan of Inantis, belonged to Amyntas, son of Hermapias, and was built during the 4th century B.C. Amyntas is believed to be a king or governor of Telmessos during the Hellenistic period. Next to the tomb of Amyntas, another temple-type tomb stands with one of its columns broken, surrounded with typical Lycian rock-tombs. Again in the same region, numerous pigeon-hole type graves, which are carved into the rocks in rectangular shapes, meet the eye, the best examples of which can be seen at Pinara. Within the city there are quite a numb er of Lycian-type sarcophagi. On these there are epitaphs in the Lycian scripture. Especially the sarcophagus near the government house is worthy of notice, with its relief's depicting warriors.

The fortress stands where the city was first founded and the existing walls are from the Middle Ages. At some places, portions of walls from Roman period can be seen. The fortress was repaired by the Rhodian Knights during the 15th century and was used as a naval base. Similarly, the Rhodian Knights had a fortress built on the Island of Knights, within the port and had thus command over the city. Today, walls of this fortress, of old houses and cisterns and various pieces of colored mosaics meet the eye on the island, which is at present a summer resort and picnic site.

The Fethiye Museum exhibits numerous archaeological findings from the Lycian, Hellenistic and Roman periods as well as ethnological works of art typical to the region.