 South
of the majestic Taurus Mountains, lie the shores of the Mediterranean
Sea with its beaches of fine sand, its vistas of uncommon
beauty, its many ancient ruins, its hidden coves and alluring
vacation getaways. Here history and mythology are inseparably
intertwined and there are many legendary stories that prove
this fact. Let us briefly share two of them. The monster Chimera,
who spews fire out of his mouth, is supposed to have lived
in the mountains west of Antalya. The Lydian hero, Bellerofontes,
cut the monsters head of with his sword. Today, the fire which
rises out of the ground on the southeastern slopes of Mount
Olympus (Tahtalı Dağ) is still said to be coming from the
mouth of Chimera. The second legend is related to one of the
unlucky love affairs of Apollo, the god of all the fine arts.
Apollo falls in love with a beautiful girl named Daphne, but
the girl is unresponsive to his overtures. One day while chasing
Daphne in an area close to Antakya, Daphne's feet turn into
tree roots and her hands and arms become branches and limbs
and she turns into a laurel tree, which is called 'defne'
in Turkish.
According to early sources, Saint Paul was born in Tarsus
and the mythological Santa Claus was actually born in the
town of Patara and lived and died in what is today Kale.
The shores of the Mediterranean are just as full of antique
artifacts as are the shores of the Aegean. In the ancient
Lycian region west of Antalya, one may see the matchless beauty
of the mountain cities, Termessos and Arikand, as well as
the coastal towns such as Olimpos, Kale, Kekova and Kaş.
The ancient cities of Perge, Aspendos and Side are located
on the coastal plain east of Antalya, which was called 'Pamphylia'.
Antalya is one of the Mediterranean's most important cities
and is Turkey's hottest vacation spot, with the Konyaltı beaches
on the west and the Lara beaches to the east lying at the
foot of Antalya's massive mountain range. It is an attractive
holiday getaway with palm-lined streets, beautiful parks,
plentiful accommodation, restaurants, lots of night-time entertainment
and a cozy marina. The symbol of this city, founded in the
2nd century BC is the Yivli Minaret, which dates back to the
Selçuk era. The Asağı Düden Waterfall to the east of Antalya
flows over huge boulders into the sea. West of Antalya is
the cute little holiday town of Kemer, famous for its sandy
beaches surrounded by pine forests and mountains.
 The
next big town east of Antalya is Alanya, a panoramic port
city on the southern slopes of the majestic Taurus Mountains
surrounded with orange, lemon and banana groves. Used by the
Selçuk Sultan, Alaaddin Keykubat as a winter residence, Alanya
has a shipyard that dates back to the same era and was one
of the most advanced in the world at that time. It is also
famous for its 9th century castle and its charming beaches.
Near Anamur is a castle from the Middle Ages. It is situated
between two beaches and is certainly as magnificent as any
of the castles along the coast. The road from Anamur to Silifke
with its endless curves and bends follows a route studded
with breathtaking coastal vistas.
The dilapidated caves near Narlıkuyu are called "Heaven
and Hell" (Cennet ve Cehennem). The "Heaven"
cave, which is quite large, also has a small church inside
it. The castle of 'Kızkalesi', which is situated in the water
across from the medieval castle of Korykos, seems to rise
out of the sea itself.
Two of the surprises which lie on the road to Mersin are
Kanlıdivane and Viranşehir, two old Roman cities. With is
charming parks, its beach boulevards, commercial port and
free trade zone, Mersin is ones of the most modern cities
on the Mediterranean.
East of Tarsus, the 'Çukurova' plain is a fertile agricultural
region known especially for raising cotton. In the middle
of this plain is found the city of Adana, a rich city with
a large textile industry. East of this region is the Dörtyol
(Issos) Plain where Alexander the Great defeated the Persian
king Darius. As a result of his victory, a port city bearing
his name was established and thus we have modern day Iskenderun.
 Leaving
Iskenderun to the southeast, the road goes through the Belen
Pass to Antakya (Antioch). This first Christian community
founded by Saint Peter has given Antakya a special religious
significance. The first sermons were preached in a cave
outside the city. It is visited today by many as a site
of pilgrimage. Antakya also has a mosaic exhibit of unusual
beauty in its museum.
Kahramanmaras is another province of the Mediterranean waiting
"to be discovered." Though its cuisine resembles
in some ways the cuisine of the surrounding regions, the
peculiar and often subtle tastes of the Kahramanmaras cuisine
with its specially made orchid drink (salep), its world
famous ice-cream of goat and cows milk and its various peppers,
along with its gilded silver, leather and copper works,
which were famous throughout the Ottoman empire, are still
alive and offer a unique experience to visitors.
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