Dalyan

The name of Dalyan and the rock tombs

It’s easy to think of Dalyan as just a hotel strip. But the town is actually built on water. There’s a large lake behind it, a narrow river in front, and reeds on the other side. The name comes from the word for a fish trap built on water. Once a source of livelihood, today it’s a place for boats, villas, and evening meals, all along the same stretch of water.

This corridor is the backbone of both the old port and the modern docks. When you board the ferry in the morning, before the crowds have gathered, the water is slow, the reeds on both sides, and the light is not yet harsh. As you go further, the walls of the cliff emerge. People take out their phones, and they’re right. The Lycian style, the city of Karya — the character of the border site is a bit like that, two languages, two stones. The cemetery is your city; it’s not the “own rock” of the waist.

Watching the tombs from the water is one thing, going to the theater at the site is another walk. You don’t have to cram in both a water and a horse tour on the same afternoon. For us, one day is water and history, one day is horses, and in between there’s Iztuzu — that rhythm makes the place even more relaxing. Everything is beautiful, everything has a different tempo.

Dalyan is concentrated on one side; Çandır and Kaunos are on the other side. The horses are also on the other side. The canal is narrow, the crossing is short, and the walk is about three hundred meters. Click on the map and this image will appear automatically. If you get off the boat and ask “Where are the horses?” the answer is on the other side of the water.

In the article on Kaunos, we take a closer look at the city. The canal crossing also explains how the farm was reached – the small waterway itself is also a part of the day.