|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The site is located near Olympos and situated 8kms from Olympos. An hour of walking on an uneven and tight slope coming from a river bed after Cirali will bring you to Chimera's unique natural ambient. Because of the blue flames sparkling out from the rocks at the bottom of Tahtali mountain of Taurus mountain range at around 250 meters above the sea level, it is known as Yanartas (burning stone in Turkish).
Flaming rocks’ view is very interesting especially at night time. To truly appreciate the effects of the Chimaera it is best to visit the area in the evening time.
During the hours of darkness, the almost pyrotechnic effect is most impressive. Chemical analysis show that it's the methane gas coming out off the surface. Scientists are as mystified as the people of ancient times as to how fire spontaneously erupts from holes on the mountain. In ancient times, the flames were quite spectacular and ships used them for navigation but today the atmosphere is one of various campfires which need no tending.
Visitors chat and sit among the flames as in any camp environment, some making tea or roasting marshmallows.
The Chimaera take its name from the Bellerophon myth. Lobates, the Lycian King, sent Bellerophon to kill the fire-breathing monster, part lion, serpent and goat, which was created by two underworld creatures: Ekhidna and Typhon. He succeeded and returned with the aid of the winged horse Pegasus, after completing other tasks set by Lobates, to Xanthos where he married the king's daughter and became heir of the Lycian throne.
Carried away by his success, for his presumption Bellerophon tried to ride Pegasus up to Mount Olympus, he earned a great thunderbolt from Zeus.
The most logical reason for the flames from a realistic viewpoint is that it is natural gas seeping through cracks in the earth, although scientists are still unable to discover the compounds of the gases. But the mythological reason for the fires is far more interesting than the scientific one.
Chimaera was another Lycian city. The ruins near the flames are mostly from the Byzantine period including houses and churches. There are also some remainings from earlier periods such as of a pagan temple dedicated to Hephaestus. So far, no archeological excavations have been carried out in Chimaera yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
