Saturday 1 September 2012

Gümüşlük - No More Rabbits






Gümüşlük is one of the very few protected anchorages on the Aegean coast between Bodrum and Kuşadası and for centuries sailors have breathed a sigh of relief as they sailed through the narrow harbour entrance and  escaped the vicious meltemi winds.  I first visited Gümüşlük in 1981 on Sinbad Severn, a 76 foot ketch.  Minutes after dropping anchor we received a visit from the local gendarmerie, who rowed over to inspect our passports and transit log and in theory, check that we didn't have any contraband or relics aboard. They stomped over the teak deck in their metal tipped and healed boots and no one felt comfortable asking them to observe the no-shoes policy. (Thank goodness, imagine 4 young guys removing heavy boots they'd been wearing daily in the August heat). After a lot of stamping (paper-work not boots) we'd wave goodbye and we'd be one bottle of JohnnyWalker and jar of Nescafe lighter.  As the yacht's cook, I loved Gümüşlük because the guests always ate on shore and as a recent archaeology graduate I had the chance to get out my copy of George Bean's  "Beyond the Meander" and visit the ruins of ancient Myndos.  Despite being written over 40 years ago, George Bean's guides are still  the best companions to take while traveling along coastal Turkey.  In Gümüşlük in the early eighties, there was still the outline of the ancient theatre, although the stones had been put to more practical uses. The mosaics were visible on the isthmus and if you kept your eyes peeled, Roman and later coins would be kicked up under foot. The massive walls encircling the 750 hectares of city could be followed almost all the way round.
I'd also wade across to Rabbit Island, where there was not a lot to see except a colony of rabbits introduced by a local restaurateur as a tourist attraction. A few massive blocks showed that there was some archaeology on the island, and the city wall;  mistakenly referred to as "the King's Way" by the locals could easily be seen less than a meter under the sea. It seemed unlikely that I'd ever know what was under the rough vegetation and rabbit droppings as, at the time, there appeared to be a lack of interest in the remains and much of the decorative marble and mosaic was being snaffled away on such a scale, that I could notice the difference from one year to the next.

Zoom forward  over 3 decades and this rather long-winded introduction leads me to last Thursday, when the excavations that have been going on since 2008 on Rabbit (no more) Island were opened to the public and we had the chance to wade through the sea to visit the site and listen to Pro. Dr Mustafa Şahin from Uludağ University talk us through his 4 years of excavations.


Climbing up through the uncovered streets, past a speculative entrance gate,  we were met at the summit by a beaming Prof. standing by jewel in the crown of his excavation.  A church dating from the 4th century AD, the central of its three nave floors being almost completely intact, decorated with a geometric mosaic. Below the floor they have uncovered a crypt with 11 graves containing 194 skeletons and evidence that bodies were placed on planks to decompose before the skeleton was added to the grave.  The excavations on the island are expected to continue until 2018, by which time the most interesting structures will be reinstated and the island re-opened to the public. 





25 comments:

  1. Hello:
    What an absolutely wonderful experience and one which, we are certain, will remain with you for a very long time.

    Your description of the local police reminds us of crossing the border into Hungary, but not by boat, of course, prior to Hungary's entry into the European Union. We were often delayed for several hours for no apparent reason.

    We do hope that when Rabbit Island is finally open to the visiting public it will not be spoilt by hoards of day trippers in the way of Venice, something we touch on in our latest post.

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    1. We do get a lot of visitors J and L, but usually just in high season. These places are best seen in late Autumn and early Spring, when you can have the sites to yourself.

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  2. No more rabbits, but some very interesting archaeology from the look of it, Annie. How marvellous to be surrounded by such vestiges of the ancient past.

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  3. We're very lucky P. If you click and enlarge the 3rd photo you can clearly see the city wall under the water.

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  4. B to B, It just so happens that we have George Bean's "Lycian Turkey" as part of our collection. Great to read of your assessment of his guides. After reading his book, we're so looking forward to visiting that part of Turkey. We loved your story of 'Tavşanada' - thanks.

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    1. He was an amazing man. When I first came to Turkey I met a lot of people who had met George Bean as he travelled around searching for archaeological sites.

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  5. When I first went to Gumusluk, years ago, you could visit Rabbit Island anytime, but then they closed it down for excavation, and I thought I'd missed my chance of exploring. Looks like we're coming back to Gumusluk at the perfect time... I'm dying to wander around and see their progress.

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    1. RJ - I think I might have raised your hopes only to dash them again. The site was only open for 3 days in Bayram and for Victory Day. I fear the padlocks are back on again.

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  6. How lucky to be able to visit the excavations!
    I'll see if I can order the book...I would have loved to have had it when visiting Turkey.

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    1. The books were reprinted in the 1980s. If they are not still in print, Abe Books is a good online source.

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  7. How exciting. When I saw the title of your blog, I thought maybe your beautiful new dog, Jake, had been chasing rabbits. The excavations sound fascinating, all the more so because of your memories of the place all those years ago. J.

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    1. Jake hasn't seen a rabbit yet, but he's very interested in squirrels.

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  8. With your passion for archeology Annie, you must be very excited at what's happening and looking forward to seeing the end result x

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    1. I'm glad the apathy over the remains has lifted and there is so much excavation going on.

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  9. That's something worth popping over to see. Shame about the rabbits. I wonder if they ended up in a pot?

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  10. Hello again. I so like to learn about Turkey and especially about the archeology there. I've always been interested in archeology--from the sixth grade when we began to study ancient history and I learned about Greece and the seven-gated city of Thebes. So these tidbits you share with us are so satifying to me. Thank you. Peace.

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    1. Even just walking down the back road by my house , there is a large marble blog in a field wall, that obviously comes from a Greek or Roman building. In Bodrum town itself, where ever you dig deep enough you find layer upon layer down to 3rd century BC

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  11. The Prof. was quick to point out that no rabbits were harmed in the making of the etc etc. The dogs got them. The dogs always swam over to catch the rabbits, but the restaurants replenished them every year.
    ps I've never eaten or been offered rabbit in Turkey.

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  12. What a wonderful post - and I'm so glad I read all the comments as well or I'd have missed that city wall under the sea! And what a treat to have been one of the few to see how it's all going. Great stuff, Annie. Axxx

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    1. The site was only open for 4 days this year so I was chuffed to actually be in the right place at the right time for once.

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  13. Great post.....I've always been interested in archaeology. My husband jokes and laughs and said I married him so I could visit Turkey often and go through all the archaeological sites.
    My husband inherited some land in Bergama and apartments have been built all around and he's not allowed to touch or sell his land yet because they believe there are some relics of Cleopatra's there....so amazing.
    Rabbits...yuck. I could never eat a Peter Rabbit.
    Thanks for sharing one of your most enjoyable posts.

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    1. I'm sure your husband will agree that if you want to see the best Greek archaeological sites - come to Turkey.

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  14. Couldn't sleep around dawn so I checked my e mails and found your lovely comment and this post. It was perfect timing as you have described one of my favourite patches of the world and I managed to drift back to sleep distracted by your descriptions of ruins and underwater worlds. We spent some months wondering around Turkey in the mid 90's. Apart from the stunning natural landscape, I most recall being beguiled by the delightful absence of fences and ticket offices around historical sites. In fact there would often be nothing more than the occasional goat or a distant farmer. We did a lot of hiking inland from Kusadasi and flopped exhausted on the empty beaches afterwards. (It must have been autumn.) Thanks for a much needed distraction and memory jolt. I'll be back!

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  15. Wonderful and breathtaking view! Congrats for a lovely vacation!

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