Kaunos, Turkey

From Dalyan, if you're on the river, you can see the burial tombs of the Kings and Queens of Kaunos, which date back from around the 4th Century BC. The fronts of these look like Hellenistic Temples which is probably why I like them because the style reminds me of Petra, though Petra is much older.

Kaunos was an ancient city, just along the river from these tombs, and a pretty important one. King Kaunos himself they say was the grandson of Apollo - the Dodecanese islands of Greece are just across the Med from Kaunos.

     

Kaunos dates from around 200 to 400 BC so a lot of it is left up to your imagination to figure out what was what. Excavation work is still ongoing but it's not a developed tourist site like, say, Rome's Colosseum. The information there is, which is few and far between, is complicated and aimed at experts. The cost of getting into Kaunos is probably reflected in the lack of information - it's about £5 - but I for one would rather pay more to find out more!

     

The best parts of Kaunos that remain are the acropolis, the amphitheater and the mosaic tiles that have been uncovered near one of the temples. The amphitheater seats 5,000 people and must have been an impressive sight in its time with the fountains of water that poured down its sides.

Absolutely amazing to think that it has survived this long. What do you think to Kaunos?