To the summit of Güllük Dağı, Termessos, again

This is another of Semra’s, Bülent’s, and my covid day trips. It was on this excursion that we looked across at Darım Dağı and decided to climb it a week or so later. On this day, however, our goal was to get to the top of Güllük Dağı. I had been there before, but it was the first time for Semra and Bülent. What this meant was that I was supposed to sort of act as the guide, but finding the best way to get through all the bushes in the gully between the old Roman baths and the base of Güllük mountain isn’t really all that easy. We ended up with a bit of bushwhacking on the way there and found a cleaner route on the return — sort of what happened to us on Darım a week or so later. 🙂

Here’s the Termessos theater looking straight across at it. We’re moving away from the theater and are in the middle of the aforementioned bushwhacking section.

IMG_20201027_100536 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_101840 by bryandkeith on flickr

A little over an hour later we were on the summit looking down at the theater.

IMG_20201027_112005 by bryandkeith on flickr

What’s always amazing about Termessos are the sarcaphogi (lahitler) scattered about all over the place. We came across these when making our way down from the summit back toward the theater.

IMG-20201027-WA0002 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_130237 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_130927 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_131030 by bryandkeith on flickr

A couple casual hours (which included a lunch stop and lots of photo stops) after the summit we arrived at the theater.

IMG_20201027_131744 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_132058 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_132208 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_132329 by bryandkeith on flickr

It was still early so we decided we had time to head up and climb around more sarcophagi.

If I recall correctly, there’s a sign indicating this is a temple of some sort:

IMG_20201027_133247 by bryandkeith on flickr

and this is a Roman finger board:

IMG-20201027-WA0026 by bryandkeith on flickr

Into the necropolis:

IMG_20201027_134714 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_135351 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_135459 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_140254 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_142317 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_142448 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_143624 by bryandkeith on flickr

You get the idea. I have many more sarcophagus photos on flickr.

To break things up we found an arch:

IMG-20201027-WA0018 by bryandkeith on flickr

and a bit later we found the horse relief that I had failed to find the last couple times I was at Termessos looking for it:

IMG_20201027_151544 by bryandkeith on flickr

There are a few buildings still standing here and there at Termessos

IMG_20201027_152650 by bryandkeith on flickr

but of course we ended the day with a more stone graves:

IMG_20201027_153506 by bryandkeith on flickr
IMG_20201027_154619 by bryandkeith on flickr

Termessos is great. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve visited, but I’ve enjoyed every day I’ve spent wandering around up there.

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