Day 25
I know I didn’t get a post up yesterday. Sorry about that, but I was an emotional wreck after the kiddo’s birthday and you guys don’t need to see all that.
Our incredible journey continued through the ruins of Akkale just outside the sea village of Tirtar. We were (mostly) dry from our swim at Kiskalesi. All three of us were in shorts, tee shirts and flip flops, so why we decided to hike through ruins is beyond me, but it was a lot of fun! Note to self: sneakers and socks are a must travel item from now on.
When we arrived a few things caught my eye. The graffiti on the stone, the incredible view, and this domed structure:
Dome structure in Akkale.
I’m fascinated with architecture. It’s amazing how well this structure was built. Inside you could see the results of years of decay. Religious symbols carved into the archways were chipped away. Tar lined the top of the building from years of smoke. There were a few pieces of current society, a bottle here and signs of a recent fire there, but for the most part, it was relatively clean.
One of the symbols in Akkale
The brush surrounding the ruins was dry and brittle. But you couldn’t beat the view from the top. It was gorgeous and calm. A nice breeze whispered through the brush to offset the oppressive humidity that had us drenched in sweat within minutes of our walk. Early on we realized having shoes other than flip flops would have been safer, but I doubted I’d ever get a chance to see it again, so I had to trek through.
Boyd drew my attention to a hole in the ground. It was an almost perfect rectangle with a large rock lodged in it. He dropped a rock and we listened for it to hit bottom. The depth of the room below was chilling.
We saw another one further up the hill, this time it had a large hole, one that allowed us to see a doorway leading into the room.
Crumbled stairway. Light filter adjusted.
I had to adjust some of these photos in picasa so you could see the details. Drell made his way along a path leading down to the doorways. He called us over and we made our own way down a precarious set of stairs. Branches tore at our clothes and in some places we had to hold onto branches to maintain our balance. My death grip on the camera limited my mobility so I moved far slower than the guys did. There are two things I’ll do before my next trip out the gate. 1. Always have sneakers and socks in my bag and 2. Get a damn neck strap for the camera.
Some enjoy hiking ruins with a tour guide, but unless he’s a natural born storyteller, I prefer to trek on my own. A little bit of research before and after and images like these will spark my imagination for years to come.
View from the first door.
Inside we found a room built for giants (or Romans, since they liked to build halls large enough for the gods to enter LOL). The little information I’ve been able to find confirms it’s of Roman origin. Anything else I’ve found talks about the size of the room and not what it was actually used for. That’s okay, my imagination will fill in the blanks nicely.
Archway in the underground room of Akkale
The itch to climb down and explore was almost overwhelming, but in flip flops with no rope or lights? Suicide. Further exploration led us around an outer wall. Inside archways had fallen over and nature had taken back most of her land.
If a stone archway falls and no one is around to hear it...does it make a sound?
One thing left me puzzled, however. There wasn’t enough stone to complete a building. While wind and rain would account for a good deal of loss, there was entirely too much missing. Less than ten miles away in Kiskalesi, there was the King and Maiden castles. Did someone take stone from here for use in Kiskalesi? Or perhaps the stone was taken for the homes of the villagers? Was the structure ever completed? And if not, why? Strategically, having a keep on top of this cliff would be sound. You can see for miles.
View from the top of Akkale.
View from the top of Akkale.
Another mystery? Why not. 
We ended the hike back where we started. A closer inspection of the dome showed us the faded markings of religious history next to recent (within the last decade or so) scribbled graffiti.
Exploring the dome.
There were no close calls or careless steps for any of us, thankfully. It was an incredible introduction to historical Turkey. Thanks guys. It was an amazing adventure.
Peace, I’m out.
