Open/Close Menu Kültür Rotaları Derneği

Part of the fun of being part of Turkey’s trekking and route-making community is the chance to get out and explore new areas and design new trails for tourists and other trekkers to explore. On the 16-17 November, Culture Routes Society team members joined forces with the formidable Beycik duo, Andrew and Faye (and some of their Russian friends), to explore an old mining path south of the D-400 between Tekirova and Cirali.

Two days of hard work chopping through the bush with machetes, axes and clippers to clear a path to the mine entrance was rewarded with stunning views of the sea, a beautiful night of camping under the stars and the exploration of a lovely valley. The mine entrance was carved into the mountainside and made accessible by a terraced path that had been built on the side of the valley walls and re-enforced by stone walls. The exploration team also discovered numerous other indications of historical human use like stone walls along the lengths of the road. Perhaps the most impressive feature was an inclined ramp built of stone that was probably used to slide the extracts from the mine into waiting carts lower along the path.

Now that the trail has been cleared and marked, the areas around it can be explored further to see if there are any other historical treasures in the vicinity. As it is though, the Culture Routes Society is helping to compile the documentation to propose that the area surrounding the mine and the mining road is put under protection from development. Since this trail links with the Lycian Way it can hopefully can form part of a nice day hike (with beach camping) for hikers along the Lycian Way in the future.

CategoryAdventure, History, Lycia
  1. December 16, 2014

    I already liked the path from Cirali to Tekirova (esp. the first half) and it sounds like you made the way even better!
    Thank you!

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