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Heracleia Under Latmos 87 pictures 5.15 hours HQ video The site is on the Milas-soke highway. The site is in the Kapkiri village and is 39 km from Milas. In the Antique period the city reached out to the Latmos bay which was an extension of the Aegean sea. View of the Lake The city is named after the famous epic hero, Heraclitos it was called Latmos in the 8^th century B.C. and was seized by the Carian Satrap Mausolus, during the Persian reign. It fell into the hands of Alexander the Great during his Asian campaign and was later dominated by Seleucos. Being cut off from the sea in the first century B.C., Heracleia lost some of its prominence. The antique city situated on a very rough and rocky terrain, was surrounded by city walls 6.5 km long, supported by 65 towers. The walls, made of smooth rectangular and square stones, were built during the Hellenistic period. Heracleia based on the city plan of Hippodoamos, is a good example of gridiron patches and streets vertically cris-crossing one another. According to mythology, Selene, the moon Goddess, fell in love with a handsome shepherd on the Latmos mountain and put him to eternal sleep. On the islands in the Bafa Lake and among the rocks on Latmos mountain, there are various monasteries. Temple of Athena The temple of Athena on the bluff behind the harbour is one of the best preserved buildings on the site. It is in Antis style with two Hellenistic columns. The agora to the east of the temple had two levels, with only the first level still standing. City walls The Agora The agora, which was built in the Hellenistic period, still exhibits a very well-preserved south wall of exquisite beauty. Byzantine Castle Fortress Changes in the Coast Line On those maps we can see the changes in the coast line. Heracleia today is 10-12 km far from the sea, whereas 2000 years ago it was right on the shore and even had its own harbor. The Lake Bafa Golu has salt water today, that comes from underground from the sea. fresco in a cave There are some caves up on the mountain above Heracleia, this picture was taken in a cave about 1.5 hour climb on the mountain. Back to Turkey Index