Selçuk/Ephesus - Turkey tel +90-(0)232-892-6050 fax +90-(0)232-892-1594 info@anzguesthouse.com

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Mountain Treks in the Beşparmak Mountains

The ANZ Guesthouse in Selçuk can set up treks in the Beşparmak Mountains — ask them for details on setting this up: oznzpension@superonline.com

OK, where is this? Roughly speaking, Beşparmak Dağları, or the Five-Finger Mountains, are south-west of Aydın, between that city and a large lake. See the below map, a small section of a US Government map. In more detail, see the blank area within the triangle formed by Herakleia, Alinda, and Koçarlı, just below where "Bağarası" is printed.

What's in a name? "Beşparmak Dağları" means "Five-Finger Mountains". Is it one mountain, or several? It depends on who you ask among the very few sources of information...

The main peak is labeled Beşparmak Dağ, or Five-Finger Mountain, on some maps. But the name comes from the fact that from above it is shaped like a hand — one highest peak but five (or so) major ridge-like formations radiating out. From above you might say there is one, but from below it looks like five.

Also see that the lake is labeled Çamici Gölü in the above map ("gölü" being Turkish for "lake"). But most maps and most people call it Bafa Gölü...

Below are two more sections of US Government maps, these are what are called "Tactical Pilotage Charts" and are intended for aircraft navigation. So, they should be quite accurate. The one at left shows a large area, the at right is a detail.

The detail shows that a small village south-east of the lake is named Çamici, while the lake is Bafa Gölü. Note that a TPC can be rather generous about what it shows as a road. Also, the TPC does not show the ancient ruin of Herakleia near the eastern tip of the lake, as it's not something you would easily see from the air. The detail does show the high peak and the multiple ridges radiating outward.

Thumbnail, click to enlarge

Thumbnail, click to enlarge

On to the trek!

Here we are, starting up the path into the mountains from near the village of Çavdar.

We stopped along the way for a water-and-shade break. It's maybe 10 to 15 kilometers from the road to where we're going.

We have arrived at our home for the next few days! This is a cabin where Mahmet, our guide, has lived while keeping sheep. But he decided that it was much more interesting to lead treks than to be a shepherd.

Another view of the cabin.

Your choice — sleep inside, or outside in a tent.

Once we're settled in, some relaxing with Mahmet's sister Anatay and much younger brother Basley. OK, maybe "relaxing" isn't the right word...

Leaving our camp and continuing up the mountain. The cabin is just below the center, maybe you can see the two brightly colored tents?

Arriving at the monastery ruins!

The monastery is higher than where we are camped. So it's a little cooler, slightly less dry, and there is some nice shade from evergreen trees.

Remember, this is a monastery, so the design criteria may seem a little unusual. So what if it's hard to get to a place — it was likely intended for quiet contemplation, and so inaccessability can be a good thing.

Another view of the structure on top of the rock outcropping.

It's not completely inaccessible, there is a way up with just a bit of scrambling.

The view down over the mountains from the monastery.

Some of the surviving frescos. This monastery operated until around 1100, so these are about 900 years old!

Another set of frescos. Some monastery structures were built by partially carving them into a cliff face, and then building out from there. In a number of cases, the carved section, complete with frescos, still survived, while the constructed section was gone.

Hanging out around the campfire.

Hanging out around the campfire.

Mahmet and Basley at center, with a couple of the "neighbors" who just strolled 5 km over the mountain in the dark to drop in and say hello.

On the way out of the mountains, continuing to the south and leaving in a different direction than how we arrived.

This is the ruins of the King's Highway, or the Royal Road, the Myra-to-Smyrna link of the all-weather trade route between Babylon and Constantinople. It was repaired under Justinian in the early 500's AD when it was already several centuries old.

Getting closer — that's Bafa Gölü in the distance.

Or Bafa Lake, gölü meaning lake in Turkish.

On the shore of Bafa Gölü, where you visit the ruins of ancient Herakleia.

Other pages

There aren't many pages mentioning this. Some of the few include these:

• http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Turkey/photo553971.htm
  According to that page, there are petrographs from prehistoric times in the area. It says that from neolithic times into the Middle Ages there was worship of a god of weather and rain. 170 prehistoric petrographs have been found since 1994, across a plateau between Sögütözü and Karadere.
  "The pictures can be found at the faces of little caves and overhangs, mostly near to springs and brooks."
  And,
  "In nearly all of the representations humans are shown — hunters and animals and other figures. These paintings have a distinctive style with heads depicted as a flattened 'M'."
• http://www.ericandsylvia.com/pictures/2000/Turkey/10-12-2000/
  This couple stayed at Bafa Lake, and got some very nice pictures of the ruins. They refer to this as the "Seven Brothers Monastery".

It seems that the area has not been studied as much as you might expect. The few archaeologists who have done some exploration seem to agree that the region was probably filled with ruins and only a small percentage are now known to anyone other than the local shepherds.

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Selçuk/Ephesus - Turkey tel +90-(0)232-892-6050 fax +90-(0)232-892-1594 info@anzguesthouse.com

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