Travel

Have you visited these ancient cliffside tombs in Turkey yet?

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2020/08/24 15:22

Today's Vocabulary

1.cliffs (n) 
a high area of rock with a very steep side, often on a coast

2.intricate (adj)
 having a lot of small parts that are arranged in a complicated or delicate way

3. necropolis (n)
an ancient cemetery (= piece of ground where people are buried)


 



4. grave (n)
a place in the ground where a dead person is buried


 



5. inhabited (v) 
to live in a place



6. carved (v) 
to make something by cutting into especially wood or stone, or to cut into the surface of stone, wood,etc.

7. resemble (v) 
to look like or be like someone or something

Have you visited these ancient cliffside tombs in Turkey yet?

Carved into the cliffs of Southwest Turkey are hundreds of rock-cut tombs that resemble majestic Grecian temples.

Dating back to the 4th century, the Lycian King Tombs of Kaunos feature striking Greek-style pillars and intricate hand-carved reliefs depicting gods, angels and spirits. Inside, ancient monoliths and limestone-lined chambers mark the final resting place of the Lycian elite.

Believing that winged spirits would carry the souls of their dead to the afterlife, the Lycians – an ancient people who inhabited the bays between Turkey’s Antalya and Fethiye – buried their most respected members of society high up on the cliffs overlooking the emerald-green Dalyan River.

Today, the elaborate graves form part of the UNESCO-recognised Ancient City of Kaunos, a 2,500-year-old archaeological site also home to a 5,000-seat Hellenistic theatre, a rock-cut Roman bath, and several Lycian temples and churches.

The Lycian King Tombs can be visited by private rowboat from the riverside town of Dalyan. Once you reach the small settlement of Çandır, you can explore the necropolis and the Ancient City of Kaunos by foot. A return row boat journey costs 15 Turkish lira (€1.71).

Resource: https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/19/have-you-visited-these-ancient-cliffside-tombs-in-turkey-yet

Discussion
  1. What is Turkey most famous for?
  2. Who are the ancient people who inhabited the bays between Turkey’s Antalya and Fethiye ?
  3. How much does a return row boat journey costs?

"Turkey is a European country, an Asian country, a Middle Eastern country, a Balkan country, a Caucasian country, a neighbor to Africa, Black Sea country, Caspian Sea, all these."

Ahmet Davutoglu

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