Dalyan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Dalyan |
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| Location in Turkey | |
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| Overview | |
| Province | [[Muğla Province]] |
| Coordinates | NA |
| Postal code | 48x xx |
| Area code | 0252 |
| Licence plate code | 48 |
| Website | http://www.dalyan.bel.tr |
Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province in Turkey, located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey, and which depends the district of Ortaca administratively.
Dalyan achieved international fame in 1986, when developers wanted to build a luxury hotel on the nearby İztuzu beach, a breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle species. A major international storm blew up, with David Bellamy championing the cause of the conservationists. The development project was stopped and the beach is now a protected area.
Life in Dalyan revolves around the Dalyan Çayı (stream/river) which flows past the town. The boats that ply up and down the river, navigating the maze of reeds reflected bright green in the water, are the preferred means of transport to all the local sites.
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[edit] Etymology
Dalyan means "fishing weir" in Turkish. Bass and mullet and Sea Bream swim upstream from the sea to Köyceğiz Lake where another large town of the region, Köyceğiz, is located. The fish spawn there, and when returning to the sea they are caught in the "dalyans".
[edit] Economy
Besides its success in the field of tourism, the region around Dalyan is a highly fertile and productive agricultural zone. Cotton is grown intensively as well as all sorts of fruits and vegetables which are all on display in the market on Saturdays, when villagers come from miles around to sell their products.
[edit] Tourism
Above the river on sheer cliffs are the weathered facades of Lycian tombs cut from rock, circa 400 BC. The ruins of the ancient trading city of Kaunos are a short boat trip across the river.
The south of Dalyan on the Mediterranean coast, lies Iztuzu beach, near the village of the same name, and it is a fine place for sunbathing and swimming, but still more famous for the Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtles), which have been in existence for 95 million years! There are regular boat and minibus (dolmuş) services to the beach. Visitors should be aware of the wooden stakes in the beach to mark nesting sites. The road route is particularly scenic, offering unrivalled views of Sülüngür Lake and, apart from one nasty hill, the thirteen kilometres is not unpleasant by mountain bike especially in the cooler months.
Iztuzu, Dalyan's turtle beach, was voted the best beach in the world in 1995.
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