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Around Milas

The Beçin Kale (Castle)

This castle is on the Milas-Ören road, five kilometres to the south of the town. The Byzantine era castle is situated on the plateau in the village of Mutluca (Beçin), overlooking the Milas plains. The castle was restored during the time the Menteşeoğulları ruled the area. The Menteşeoğulları Kingdom, which has made Milas its capital, later moved the seat of government to Beçin due to its being easy to defend.

In 1974, Beçin Castle was restored. In the castle, which is surrounded by walls, you can still see the remains of the baths and cistern. On the side of the road there is a chamber shaped Roman tomb.

The real settlement in the castle is in the inner keep, 200 metres further up the hill. In this part there is a Byzantine chapel, the Katapaşa Medresesi (Islamic school) from the Menteşeoğulları era, a Turkish tomb, the Ahmet Gazi Medresesi, the Orhan Bey Mosque, a Turkish bath, the Bey Konağı (mansion), the Bey Turkish bath, the Kızılhan, Yelli Mosque and its medrese to see.

The Milas Houses

One of must do during the town visit in Milas is to look at the Milas houses built in 19th century or early 20th centuries and which are still largely in use after being restored. The entrance to the two storey houses is from their courtyards. The houses’ wooden extensions jut out onto the streets. The ground floors are generally used as a cellar and storage area. The kitchen, toilets and barns are in a separate part of the courtyard. From the courtyard you get to the second floor of the house via a wooden or marble staircase.

In the town centre the houses known as Nedime Beler, Murat Mentepe, Selahatton Oğuz, Servet Akgün are examples of early republican houses that were designed by architects that had gone to Europe and were influenced by European architecture. The difference between these houses and the Milas ones are that they were made closed to the outside and the kitchen and toilets were inside the house.

Çomakdağ

The partly asphalted road running to the left from next to the Milas Tuğla (Brick) Factory climbs up to the Beşparmak Mountains. Çomakdağ leans its back against these peaks. In the Çomakdağ houses the artistic talent lies in uniting the architecture of the past to the present day. The chimney styles of the stone houses attract attention. On chimneys you can see motives of crescents and eagle heads.

It is not possible to come across these types of chimneys in any other place, as they were influenced by ancient buildings.

The villager of Çomakdağ still practise their traditional lifestyles. Their weddings last for four days. Wheat is traditionally beaten in rounded stones, there are shooting competitions on the plains and the winner gets a goat. The women have their own entertainment and there is still the tradition of taking the bride from her family home and have a veil ceremony.

Once you are in Çomakdağ you should buy some of the virgin olive oil produced in the village.

Labranda

The ancient city of Labranda is one of the best preserved ancient cities of Turkey, and lies to 14 kilometres to the north of Milas on the Kocayayla (high plateau). Be warned, the road is dirt and there is lots of dust. However, it is worth taking this dusty and rough road as at the end of it you will find a very beautiful ancient city amidst pine and plane trees and that is cooled by the constant sweet breeze. In the ancient times, Labranda was linked to Mylasa by an eight metre wide sacred road. It is possible to see traces of the road today. It is known that there was a sacred area in the city in the 5th century BC. Both gates in the south east and south of the ancient city are standing. You can find the remains of the Temple of Zeus, a stoa, a large terrace area to the south of the temple, an andron where cult meals were eaten, a large building believed to be a palace and terrace houses. The Andron Window building unearthed in excavations is proof that windows were used in the Hellenistic period. In the city you can also see works from the Roman era.

Two hundred metres to the east of the sacred area there is the stadium that was strengthened from behind with a retaining wall. It is believed that races were staged in the stadium during the annual five day long feasts that were held in the sacred area. The stone starting and finishing marks for the races are still in their place today.

When you go up to Labranda you can have a meal in the open air restaurant in the village of Kargıcak on the way. We recommend you to have the sautéed goat meat dish (oğlak Kavurma) and an omelette with wonderful smelling tomatoes and pepper (menemen). There are toilets in the archaeological site but no water.

Euromos

Take the turn for Euromos when you see the sign past Lake Bafa when you are travelling towards Milas. The ancient of Euromos is 12 kilometres from Milas and one kilometre in from the main road and used to united to the city of Mylasa in ancient times. The well-preserved Temple of Zeus has eight columns on the front façade. On the inscriptions on the columns the names of those that contributed financially to the making of the temple are written. In the city, which is surrounded by olive trees, the theatre has rows of its five rows still visible. In front of the temple you will see an information plate. There is also one toilet. It is believed that the temple is from the post Hadrian era. If you visit the hillside to the west of the temple you can see the remains of the city walls.

Güllük

The road turning to the right from the Milas-Bodrum road will, after eight kilometres, take you to Güllük. Güllük offers the opportunity of a quiet holiday for those who do not like the crowds of Bodrum, which is just next to it. Well, it is like this at least for now. You must have seen how, once discovered, even the most quiet and calm places come under attack by summerhouses and they turn into something you can’t recognise anymore. Let’s see what will happen.

Güllük is a port town. The port is used to export the mineral bauxite, which you will see being carried down to the harbour in trucks.

Güllük is located between the Gulf of Mandalya and Asin Cove and its fishermen and waterfront coffee-houses and restaurants still retain the character of fishing village. Houses on the rising landscape from the seaside all have a view due to the topography of the area.

There is good fish to be had in the netted areas to the north and in sea itself. You can fish for bluefish, grey mullet and most of all eels. You can feast on eel dishes in one of the restaurants here. It is very delicious although it is called snake fish in Turkish. In most of the coves in the area there is also fish farming conducted and where you can get sea bass and bream.

In Güllük, just like its neighbour Bodrum, there are shipyards that build the unique boats to the region, gulets. These boats look beautiful but you can not say quite the same for the cargo ships in the port.

Iasos-Kıyıkışlacık

You can either take a shared motor boat from Güllük or drive 18 kilometres after you leave the Milas road to get to the village of Kıyıkışlacık, where the village and the ancient city of Iasos are intertwined. The villagers still use the ancient paths as a shortcut and their goats feed on the grass and they tie up their donkeys in these places. The village is located on the coast where a natural port is formed and a narrow breakwater has been built in the entrance.

At the entrance of the village you will see the ancient city. The boards giving information on the archaeological site and the plan city is good enough to brief you. The boards are also stylish, not like those you are used to seeing in other ancient cities.

The city was founded by the Argos colonists and later people from Milet migrated here. The main Gods and Goddesses of the city were Apollon and Artemis. There were also festivals staged in the name of the God Dionysis. Thanks to these festivals, the city was known as a centre of music and theatre.

The information about the ruins you can see in the ancient city is as follows:

There is an odeon to the west of the agora that is marked by a portico of Roman columns, a Temple of Artemis where is was believed that the statue of the Goddess would not get wet from the rain, and a Temple of Zeus Megistos. On the eastern side of the temple there are inscriptions, altars and series of alter steles by which the sacred area is marked. Above the Temple of Zeus there is the theatre, built in the Hellenistic style in the time of the son of Zopatros, Epikrates, and which was repaired in the Roman era. The inscription on the wall of the theatre commemorates the actors, musicians and others who gave their support to the staging of performances. The castle on the highest point of the city is from the Christian era. From the hilltop you can see parts of the port and the lighthouse that is partly above the water on Kıyıkışlacık Cove. On the flat and rocky area to the west, there is a wall that protected the city from landslides.

If you would like to stay in Kıyıkışlacık village there are many pensions but you will not find a beautiful beach to swim at.

Boğaziçi Köyü

If you want to be part of both of the Bodrum entertainment scene and have a restful time there is a place to do so. The village of Boğaziçi is a full on fishing village. Whenever you want you can enjoy the fun of Bodrum. The next day you rest and refresh in a quiet atmosphere. The village is 30 kilometres from Bodrum and 25 from Milas. From Bodrum, before you get to the turn for Güllük, you turn left at the Shell petrol station. This is the turn for Tuzla. The two kilometre long drive on the asphalted road takes you to the village.

The old name of Boğaziçi was Bargliya and it has a legend. The winged horse Pegasus, which belonged to the hero Bellerophon, kicked his owner’s best friend Bargylos and killed him. Bellerophon named the place after his dear friend.

Boğaziçi has a beautiful blue cove that is surrounded by olive trees. In the past, the area had salt making facilities. Now the salt pools are left to their own destiny. Since there is no agricultural land in the area the villagers make their living from the sea. Almost all of the village are involved in fishing in some way or other. The fishing in the village is threatened since the baby fish from the gulf are now collected and sold to fish farms. If you listen to the old fisherman they will tell how the area was a fish bed. However, there are restaurants where you can eat good and fresh fish. There are lots of sea bass and bream and you can also get fresh fish from farms that are kept live in pools built in the sea. Here, along with the fish, they serve a delicious salad that they make from their own olive oil, garlic and black pepper. If you like their olive oil you can buy some before you leave. The village of Bögaziçı is also a bird haven, though the birds are under threat from some ruthless hunters. Since they are not under special protection there is no monitoring to prevent their being shot.

Bargylia

As we said, the old name of the village of Boğaziçi is Bargliya. Bargliya, which was a Carian city, was once on the seaside. Salt was produced on the marsh land in front of the village in the Ottoman era. The local name for the city is Varvil. The ancient writers say that the city was founded by Bellerophon after his winged horse Pegasus killed the hero’s best friend Bargylos with a kick.       The name of the city in Carian language was Andanos. The most sacred part of the ancient city is the Temple of Artemis Kyndias that is in the village of Kemikler on the opposite mountain. The area was turned into a defensive castle in the Byzantine era and traces of the old ruins indicate the rebuilt Byzantine walls. The remains are scattered on the hill that stretches along the whole cove. The theatre facing north and the temple require a discovery trip.

Tuzla

The Tuzla wet lands cover an area of 380 hectares. This is the shelter and feeding place for birds that migrate in winter and is surrounded by pine, olive and tamarisk trees. The pelican is among the most frequent species of bird here. Apart from pelicans, there are many other types such as the grey duck, mallard, white-fronted goose, Hungarian duck, coot, heron, geese, flamingos, water chicken and marsh swallow.

The wet lands are also rich in plankton, water plants and fish.

The Tuzla area has been badly affected by nearby construction, land reclaiming and hunting.

Bafa Gölü (Lake)

The Söke Plain used to be under the sea some 2,000 years ago and there used to be a large gulf here. The sediment carried by the Büyük Menderes River filled up the gulf and turned it into a plain. The current Lake Bafa was once a part of the sea.

There are two islands on the lake. One of the twin islands is not a full island and is linked to the land by sand. You can catch sea beam, bass and eels in Lake Bafa. In the past there used to many carp but with the salting up of the lake they are not so numerous.

If you want to take a tour on the lake there shared motor boats available. You can visit the islands and the ancient city of Heraklia. You also get a swimming break. Large families or groups, if they do not want to wait for the motor boat to fill up, can also hire one for their own private trip. On the islands of the lake there were churches and monasteries, with the oldest of these being the Yediler Manastırı (the Seven Monastery). The lake is surrounded by olive trees. In the restaurants around the lake you can have meals and all are cooked in olive oil, even the omelette.

Herakleia/Latmos

To get to the ancient city of Herakleia from Bodrum you turn in the direction of the village of Çamiçi at the end of the lake and travel for nine kilometres on an asphalted road. On the drive you might see interesting amphora-shaped rocks. The road leads you to village of Kapıkıpı and there the road goes to the lakeside right before the entrance to the village. This village is one of the places discovering tourism and all the youths here are amateur guides. They can take you on a tour to the ruins on the top of the mountain by a donkey ride. In the five to six hours long tour you visit the ancient site called the "Arap Avulus" near the village of Karpuzlu and see the ruins of the ancient theatre. Most of the young guides speak some English and German.

The ancient city of Herakleai was built in the Hellenistic style and had a regular plan. Its defensive strength should be considered, taking in its firm walls and solid tower.

The flat area where the modern primary school building is was the multi layer Hellenistic agora. The Temple of Athena, located on a top of a rock is easily identified from the inscriptions that remain. The important ruins scattered around the olive trees and the grey rocks are the bouleterion, which is in a courtyard of a house to the east of the agora; the Alter of Endymion that appears like a rough structure when you head down towards the lakeside; and the theatre on the upper hillside.

As long as you use local guides the trip to the road that climbs up to the Beşparmak Mountains, will be one of discovery with the paving, the defence system of the upper castle and the developed Christian monument just like those in Cappadocia from the 10th to the 13th centuries to be seen.

The known history of Herakleai goes back as far as the 7th century BC. The star of the ancient city shone in the Hellenistic and Roman periods and it became prosperous from the sea trade. In the Byzantine era it was a centre of bishopric.

The sacred area of Endymion was considered holy by the Christian faith as well. Endymion has an interesting story. Selene, the Goddess of the Moon, saw the shepherd Endymion sleeping outside and fell in love with him. The God Zeus got jealous of the love of Selene and in anger punished the young shepherd, condemning him to eternal sleep Every night, while he was having dreams in his deep sleep, the Goddess Selene would come and lie next to him.         Thus Selene had a total of 50 children sired by the sleeping Endymion.

Ören-Keramos

Ören, or to give it its old name of Gereme, is on the shores of the Gulf of Gökova, a 45 kilometres long drive on the asphalted road in the Biçnkale direction from the Bodrum-Milas road. Its coast and sand beach are beautiful. On the waterfront there are twin storey houses that have gardens and small hotels and pensions. Ören has been in the news in Turkey in recent years due to the Gökava power station. The power plant was built but is not operational and is an example of structural pollution.

To get to Ören from the village of Gökova/Akyaka you travel through the northern part of the Gökova Gulf and drive for 48 kilometres on the dirt road in front of the Kıran Mountains. However, be careful, this road is in a pretty poor condition.

Between Akyaka and Ören you can visit the ruins of the ancient city of Keramos, which was the member of the Kryasor Union. The meaning of the word Keramos was Ceramics.

During the Hellenistic period it was under the rule of Rhodes and in the same period signed an agreement of loyalty with neighbouring Stratonikeia.

In 129 BC, Keramos was a part of the state of Lesser Asia of the Romans but after that gradually lost its importance. There are city walls on the Meşekaya Mountains behind the archaeological site.

In the lower parts of the walls rows of polygon type stones were used whereas in upper parts a regular stone wall technique of straight cut stone was applied. In the Bakıcak region, which is a stone terrace, there are two important temples of the ancient city, with their height of 25 metres making them noticeable.

The building that is called Kurşunluyapı (building with lead) took this name for the methods of lead being used to join the stones. The beautiful structure of the terrace walls has preserved its unique form in the south and west but the eastern part has been destroyed. On the flat ground of the terrace there are buildings in the Corinthian and Ionic styles. The temple area is believed to have been dedicated to Zeus Krysaoreus.

The Akyapı (white building) which is inside the town is a large building complex built in the Roman period. Those who come to the site via the Gökova road will see the aqueduct behind the Meşekayası Mountains.

Paragliding in Ören

Paragliding has developed in Ören in recent years. Try taking part in this activity where the beauties of the Gökova Gulf stretches beneath your feet.

Uyku Vadisi (the Sleeping Valley)

Thirty kilometres before Bodrum on the road from Milas there is the turn on the left to Gökçeler. One kilometre after the village of Gökçeler you get to the Uyku Vadisi (Değirmenderesi), the Sleeping Valley. The Sleeping Valley and the Gökçeler Cave are important sites on the day tours organised by travel agencies from Milas and Bodrum.

There are two entrances to the valley. One of them is from the trout farm and follows the stream up. This road is frequently cut by the running stream and you have to get cross it. But in summer this path might be fun to take.

The second route is the road that turns to left into the forest after you travel one kilometre out of the village. After the turn you drive for two kilometres to get to Değirmenderesi. Those who follow the flowing water trail will, after going one kilometre with a bit of climbing, get to the Gökçeler Cave. The mouth of the cave is quite wide. It opens onto a wider hall in the beginning. To the left there is a large gallery. It is called the Bat Gallery due to many the bats that live there. Don’t cast a light over them as they scare easily and will take flight.

When you walk a bit to the right through a narrow area you come to the gallery of small lakes, stalactites and stalagmites. Everyone can get as far as this point. The rest is for the professional potholers. With the guides you go down seven metres on a rope and come to a wider gallery, with some of your progress made by sliding on the ground or kneeling down to get to the end of the cave. Your return is the same and there is no other exit this way. In summer do not forget to get your swimming costume as you will want to dip into the cool waters.

Çökertme

Çökterme Cove is either the first or last stop of the Blue Cruise boats that leave from Bodrum and is an indispensable stopping point. Çökertme Beach is a small district of the village of Gökbel and is like handmade lace work. Çökterme has a very clean sand beach for swimming and has many coves that are suitable for yachts to spend the night.

Since there is no convenient road for vehicles the cove is more easily reached by sea. So far, not much construction work been done here.

If you go to Çökertme do not neglect to walk to the top of the hill where you have views over the Gulf of Gökova. For this stroll people that came by boat or other visitors travel in vehicles up to the village of Gökbel and leave them there. The only vehicle that could travel on the steep and tree lined trail is a tractor. You can have a tractor ride to near the top but then even a tractor can do no more and the bouncy trip ends. From here, after a 20 minutes walk, you get to the roof of Gökova. On the summit, which is called Sivri Kümes (Pointed Coup) there is a 180 degrees view. In clear weather in particular you have a whole view of the gulf. On the top of Sivri Kümes you get the feeling of time having been frozen with the anchored boats in the Fesleğen Bükü (Inlet), Çökterme Koyu (cove), Arpa Bükü, Kargılı Bükü and the liman (port). The only thing you can buy from the village, which is hidden behind the hills so it could be protected from pirate raids in older times and lies amidst the Mediterranean vegetation scented with the fragrance of local herbs, are the famed Milas carpets.

How to get there?
You can catch minibuses that leave from Milas to Kemerköy every half an hour. After you travel the 45 kilometres to Kemerköy you can take a taxi to Çökertme, another nine kilometres away. Otherwise, from the shores of Gökova after Akyaka there is a dirty, dusty rough and primitive road that takes you there. For those who come from Bodrum it is possible to come through Mumcular, the villages of Yeniköy and Mazı before getting to Gökbel and then on to the Çökterme coastline. These roads are more suitable for vehicles such as jeeps. When you go to Sivri Kümes do not forget to wear walking shoes and a hat and pack some water. If you are wearing a pair of shorts do not forget that the hill is covered with spiky weeds.

Important note: As soon as the boats show up on the horizon of Çökterme to spend the night speed boats from the restaurants draw next to them and insist on tourists coming to dine in their restaurants. Choose the restaurant where you are going to eat by seeing it and negotiate prices ahead!

Where to stay?
If you are staying in Çökertme there is the 30 bed Sönmez Hotel at the entrance. The two storey family-run place has a garden and also provides breakfast. In Çökterme you can also find home type pensions. There are also suitable places to pitch tents or park caravans.

What to eat?
On the waterfront there are seafood restaurants that cater to yacht passengers, offering fish cooked in ovens or on a wood fire. The hassle even begins when tourists are still on the water. By radio the number of clients and orders for fish are given. However, for fish such as dentex, bream and leer fish make sure it is not been stocked and kept in ice for long. Do not forget to prepare your food and pack it when you climb up to the Sivri Kümes hill since there is nowhere you can get food.

The natural attractions around Milas

The attractions of Milas, location of 27 ancient cities, is not limited to history alone. One of the reasons Milas was the site of this many settlements is the fact that it is rich in natural beauties.

There are two lakes within Milas’ borders, one being Bafa and the other Tuzla. Both were once a part of the sea, both have salty water and both are very valuable in respect to the richness of the bird species that visit. The Lake Bafa wet land area has been declared a National Park and has been given official protection, with the hunting of birds prohibited. The area is a shelter for thousands of birds, among which the most common species being the grey ducks, pelicans, swans, grey geese and grey herons.

See the Güllük pages for the Tuzla Lake, which is on the Güllük Delta.

Twenty three kilometres from the centre of Milas there is the Sırtlandağ region where there is a forest of the endangered Aleppo Pine Trees, which is also a protection area. The forest of 40 to 50 year old Aleppo pines covers an area of 760 hectares.