TERMINAL TERMESSOS

From our base camp in Antalya, we headed northwest to Termessos. A thin veil of clouds shielded the sun, but the day held promise and it seemed like ideal weather for a mountain excursion.  WRONG.  Termessos was a far greater challenge than Sagalossos.  Situated within a National park in the hollow of a a multi-peaked mountain at nearly 9000 feet, much of this  abandoned city has been reclaimed by the lush forest vegetation.

We hiked for nearly two hours and saw only a handful of other tourists.  The climbing was difficult.  Steep inclines, narrow paths and loose rocks made for rough going.  And then the rain came down. The moss covered rocks became slippery. Mud puddles formed. We tried to keep our footing as we stumbled on looking for the marked paths that had become overgrown with weeds. Of course, we had no rain gear.  Soaked to the bone, we had trouble seeing past the rain. We were too far in to turn back, just at the halfway point when the storm intensified.  Thunder and lightening threatened  in the distance. We questioned our sanity, but we persevered.

When  the clouds parted, we were rewarded. From the theater, which was carved into the hollow of the  highest point on the mountain, you could see for miles.  Clouds skittered across the top tier of carved stone seats. The commanding views were breathtaking. It was impossible to get a sense of the city layout from our ground view perspective, but it seemed to stretch for miles . The ruins of the buildings  were perched in the most precarious of places.  Tombs were carved out of the rock walls of the mountain cliffs.  Sarcophagi were scattered like dominoes that might have slipped off an overturned card table.  Everywhere there was evidence of the grandeur of this once important city, one of the few unconquered by Alexander on his march to greatness.

We picked our way carefully down the mountain, knees throbbing, backs aching.  Glad we came.  Gladder still to find ourselves back on firm ground.  Termessos might have been terminal. But at least we could have made use of the empty tombs!