Back to mapPydnai

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Some four miles to the west of Letoon, near the sea is a nature reserve and through the reeds that surround the reserve are the remains of Pydnae or Pidnei on the maps. The site is more a fort with a surrounding wall and gates.

Dolmuşes from Kumluova village (labelled "Kumluova– Karadere" run the 7km southwest to the end of the paved road (and dolmuş stop), where the ancient fortress of Pydnae is obvious on the right, on the far side of the Özlen Çayı. To reach the fortress itself, you'll need to continue to the end of the onward mud-and-sand track (best with a 4WD) that leads to the beach (no facilities) at the stream mouth. Cross the rickety footbridge here, and head up behind the single dwelling and greenhouses to pick up Lycian Way markers, which lead to – and through – the fortress gate within twenty minutes.

Pydnae was a small naval base at the extreme northwestern end of the much larger, deeper bay that once existed between here and Patara, before the Özlen and Eşen streams silted it up. The irregularly shaped precinct is built of almost perfectly preserved, Hellenistic polygonal masonry, with steps leading up to the walls at various points and, every so often, square towers with loopholes for archers. The most recent structure inside, and the only one besides a roofless cistern with its walls still rendered, is a Byzantine church, its arched apsidal window overlooking the reedy marshes where fleets once anchored.