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Greek legends are typically full of the incredible — winged white stallions, bull-headed minotaurs, Trojan horses and vengeful gods.
While ancient writer Palaephatus later tried to bust some of these extraordinary myths, when it came to strange legends about what is now Olympos in modern Turkey, he had no option but to conclude that they were at least partly true.
“There is a great opening in the earth, from which fire emerges,” he wrote in his opus “On Incredible Things.”
“The name of this mountain is Chimaera.”
He was right. This place is very much real. Located in southwestern Turkey, just above the beautiful coastline near the city of Antalya, there are indeed holes in the ground where flames burn. Today they burn perpetually, today just as they did during the time of Palaephatus.
The burning rocks of Yanartaş — the modern name of what is believed to have been Mount Chimaera — are part of the Olympos Beydagları National Park, an area of sublime Mediterranean beauty where the myths of the bygone eras feel a little bit closer to reality.
Here, the ancient maritime district of Lycia prospered and found its demise. Windswept ruins of its once-flourishing towns are scattered around the coast and the walls of long-abandoned temples hide among the trees, guarded by the high mountains.
The park is full of craggy peaks, idyllic turquoise coves and sprawling rocky beaches. But its most unique sight is undoubtedly Yanartaş. It’s not often that you encounter holes in the earth where the flames never cease.
While the sight of perpetual fires is out of the ordinary, there’s a scientific explanation for the curious occurrence.
The flames are caused by methane gas emerging from the ground and meeting the atmosphere to explosive effect.
Wow factor
It’s believed the Yanartaş area is one of the most combustible settings for natural methane emissions on Earth. Igneous rocks underneath the vents are full of ruthenium and the material acts as a powerful catalyst for methane formation.
“I first discovered this place in 1997 and it wowed me,” says Ibrahim Genc, a professional tour guide for more than 25 years who regularly takes groups to see the spectacular site. “As a Turkish person, I immediately joked that we could grill a delicious kebab here.”
Yanartaş certainly has a wow factor. Visitors approach along a stone-clad path beneath the mountain of Tahtalı Dağı mountain before emerging into a one-acre site where, swathed in faint smell of gas and the rhythmic whine of cicadas, they encounter fiery vents scattered around the rocky surface.
It’s a surreal sight, but also a calming one, thanks to the surrounding pine trees and the glistening blue of the distant Mediterranean sea. Adding to the atmosphere are the ruins of a temple to Hephaestus — it’s hard to think of a better location for worshiping the Greek god of fire.
The burning rocks are part of a protected cultural area with an entrance on the northern borders of the coastal village Çıralı. Reaching Yanartaş is a fairly easy, 30-minute hike uphill through beautiful scenery.
“The best time to come is from mid-September until the end of November, or mid-March until the end of May,” recommends Genc, adding that evenings make the visit even more magical. The flames burn more vividly and the twilight hugs the inspiring Olympos park landscape. The park closes at 8 p.m.
Midday is best avoided during hot summer months when southern Turkey’s heat and direct sunlight can be an ordeal. And, despite Genc’s joke, it’s inadvisable to attempt any kebab grilling. The rocks are under state protection and there could be legal repercussions.
Three-headed beast
It’s easy to see how this place became a source of legend. Imagine being a Lycian from the 13th century BCE and seeing the fire coming from underneath the mountains while peacefully hiking in the woods.
Greek mythology tells the story of Chimaera, a fire-breathing three-headed beast that terrorized Lycia. “In her forepart, she was a lion; in her hinderpart, a dragon; and in her middle, a goat, breathing forth a fearful blast of blazing fire,” wrote ancient Greek poet Hesiod.
If there’s a monster in Greek mythology, it’s usually slain by a hero. Such was Chimaera’s fate. Ancient Greek poet Homer wrote in his epic “Iliad” that Lycian king Iobates tasked Bellerophon (best known for riding the winged horse Pegasus) to kill Chimaera.
“And Bellerophon slew her, trusting in the signs of the gods,” Homer wrote. The beast stood no chance.
While it’s fun to envisage a thunderous battle between a flying horse-riding hero and the three-headed monster amid the Olympos National Park scenery, it’s most likely that Chimaera wasn’t a creature but the mountain where lions may have lived and goats roamed. The beast’s fire, meanwhile, was provided by the Yanartaş.
“Bellerophon made [the mountain] habitable, whence he is said to have “killed Chimaera,” wrote the first century medieval scholar Isidore of Seville in his “Etymologiae.”
Flying high
The Olympos Beydagları National Park is a treat for nature enthusiasts and history aficionados alike.
It’s also home to the impressive ruins of the ancient city of Olympos. Located in an awe-inspiring river valley between the sea and the mountains, the city is a window into bygone life in Lycia. The site dates to the 3rd century BCE and includes a theater, basilica, bathhouse, and a series of tombs.
A maritime Lycian powerhouse, Olympos culminates in a long and wide rocky beach. Although close to Çıralı, the stretch feels very isolated and intimate, typical of the wild magnetism of much of Turkey’s Turquoise Coast. The remnants of the medieval walls of the Genovese Fortress, carved in the rocky cliffs make the scenery even more romantic.
The highest panorama over the region is provided by the Olympos Teleferik, a cable car that rises 7,759 feet (2,365 meters) up to the peak of Tahtalı Dağı, where adventurous visitors can try paragliding – perhaps imagining they’re a hero riding a Pegasus on a quest to slay the fire-breathing Chimaera.
Just so long as they don’t forget to apply sunscreen.
