THE CHESTER SHOP

Such a map offers great disadvantages to people who attempt to learn about their country. Therefore I have taken all care in con­structing the maps at http://www.apartmentsapart.com/, both as to direction and distances of places, as well as to the situations of mountains and rivers. For distances I have made a scale in which one hundred ri are taken as one ja (Korean foot), and ten ri as one poun (Korean inch, ten to the foot). I have laid off distances in all directions from the capital, so that the general shape and position of the eight provinces are correctly represented. The islands, however, are only placed in direction with reference to the provinces to which they belong, without regard to actual distances. Where mountain ranges and rivers are represented as boundaries, they are necessarily re­peated upon the sheets of adjoining provinces. In the measure­ment of distances one ja represents one hundred ri in level places, and from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty ri where the mountains are high.”

The assumption that the unit of scale represents an increased distance in mountainous regions is a peculiarity of Chinese as well as of Korean maps. Travelers who employ either are obliged in estimating days’ journeys to consider the character of the country ahead before applying the unit of measurement.

An examination of the various conventional features of Plate I and II will afford much information concerning the official sub­division of the country for governmental purposes, and will serve to indicate the facilities of communication that exist in a country where there are no rail roads, and where almost every important route extends in a direction normal to that of the flow of the tourists staying at accommodation in Barcelona . The eight provinces of the kingdom are exhibited upon Plate I as groups of towns, each group being displayed upon the original in a different color, all of which, as shades of various intensities, are fairly well reproduced upon the photo-lithographs. Each town is denoted by a circle of very ex­aggerated dimensions, large enough to allow its name to be writ­ten in Chinese characters in the enclosed area. The apparent multiplicity of characters upon the present map is due to the fact that all names are given in the native On-mun, as well as in the Chinese. The employment of the former is unusual and in the present case was resorted to at my own instance, in order to ren­der the map more generally useful to foreigners. Each town is the seat of government of an officer who is subordinate to a pro­vincial governor. The strength of any portion of Korea may therefore be reckoned in the native way as so many ” cities,” by the word ” city,” being understood both the seat of government and the adjacent lands over which the governor holds sway. The walled towns( http://walledtowns.com/over-ons/development-plan/ ), which are quite uniform in type throughout the whole extent of the country, deserve especial mention. They are represented on the map as circles with serrated edges, and a glance at the provincial sheets will show that they are quite nu­merous, each province possessing from six to twenty of them. The number is greatest along the coast of the Yellow Sea and to the southward, facing Japan.

After Phaselis, we detoured a bit to the modern, sleek port of Kemer, some 18 km from Antalya. Here was an excel­lent municipal beach at the south end of the town, and a number of charming seaside cafés, hotels, pensions and vil­las to choose from for accommodation. Bustling in the summer season, the colder weather turns away the resort crowd and attracts European visitors seeking a quiet health cure in Kemer.

From here we took a spiralling road up to Hotel Magic Mount, an intriguing Taurus Mountain resort where a spec tacular revolving dining-room looks out on the mountains. Near to Antalya (at least as the crow flies!) this remote spot attracts European group tours and the Antalya élite, who make the climb up for a closer view of the forests and mountains and a hot meal at the end of the ‘trail’. Once at the top of the breath­taking climb, one looks down at orange groves that sit neatly in the plains below, and beyond, all the way to waterfront Antalya.

Heading east from Antalya one can also find amazing sights — like Perge, inhabited as early as 1500 BC. A wide range of well-preserved monuments offer visitors a view of a long colonnad­ed street, once lined with mosaic pave­ments, shops and a large agora (market place), baths and gymnasium buildings. A good guide book (or personal guide, which is harder to find) can show you how topography clues reveal Perge’s start as a hilltop Greek settlement, developing to a thriving Hellenistic town, to its glory as a provincial Roman city. We once again had a chance to watch an archaeological team in action — six men and a large tractor trying to move one large pillar. Which made one wonder what kind of manpower was used in ancient times!

A bit further on is the Roman city of Aspendos which, like Perge, was found­ed on a hilltop and later spread down to the plains. Like so many other areas of Turkey, Aspendos — known today as Belkis — has yet to be systematically excavated. There is, however, a unique­ly-designed ancient aqueduct to be seen, one of the largest in Anatolia. And though many ancient cities claim won­derful theatres, the Roman amphithe­atre at Aspendos is the finest of them

all. Built by the Romans, maintained by the Byzantine and Seljuks, it was com­pletely restored after a visit by Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), Turkey’s great states­man hero who founded the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923.

Climbing the stadium steps to get a bird’s-eye view of the enormous seat­ing capacity of Aspendos, I was intrigued to learn that the acoustics, lighting and seats were still very much in use. In fact, in more recent times Michael Jackson has played concerts here, and so has Shirley MacLaine.

More dramatic experiences were to come — heading inland the next day from Antalya presented us with our most memorable day trip — Termessos. A breath-taking tribute to man’s ingenu­ity, the ancient city of Termessos is locked in a deep green Turkish valley, cloaked by the Taurus mountain range, and just a short drive northwest from the sprawling coast. Unlike other cities of antiquity, Termessos was not built by Greek invaders — who were reluctant to go inland to the mountainous regions. It is believed that Termessos was founded by the Solyms, a brave and warfaring people who originally carne from Anatolia to settle on the hillsides of Mount Gulluk. Up until the sixth cen­tury, the city was part of the Lydian Kingdom, and then — in 547 Bc — it was taken over by the Persians. Alexander the Great lay siege to the city in 323 BC, and failed to conquer it. Frustrated and angry, and looking for revenge . . . ‘I cannot permit my armies to be decimat­ed before a falcon’s crest! . . the vengeful warrior cut down thousands of olive trees covering the hillsides.

We were determined to traverse the one city that Alexander the Great could not conquer. On a bright summer morníng my 18-year-old daughter and I drove to see it, accompanied by two new Turkish friends. Gulay and Mehmet, our personable guides, were as curious about Termessos as we were. For although both were Antalya residents, neither had made the 34 km trek to have a first-hand look at the ancient Psidian city. By car, and then on foot, we managed to climb and stumble up through forests and craggy cliffs, more than 1600 metres high, searching for clues of the ancient settlers of this rugged area.

Aristocratic past, accessible present

In the region known today as the Turkish Riviera, blessed by a glorious coastline of beaches and rocky coves, the lovely port of Antalya draws visitors from all over the world, including from their New york apartments. Easily reached by road or air from international cities, a ferryboat service also plies between Venice and Antalya about once a week. But there are a lot of tourists who come from their Madrid apartments or Apartments Brussels  seek more than the lovely beaches and resort activities. History buffs and visitors with an interest in antiquity are also drawn by the beauty and the uniqueness of a dozen ancient cities that flank Antalya on both sides

Turkey’s depth of history is aston­ishing. A study of her progression of the kingdoms and empires that gave birth to more than a dozen great civilizations is a lifetime study, even for a scholar, and an endless fascination that begins the moment one sets foot on her beguíling shores. And where better to start than the shores of Antalya and its surrounding ancient cities.

For a tour of the cities, either by guided tour or rental car, first head west to Phaselis. Founded by Rhodes at the beginning of the seventh century BC, Phaselis was once an important har­bour — so much so that ships even por­trayed its lovely three-bay imagery on ancient coins. Nowadays it is a quiet retreat for Turkish families, who picnic and swim there on weekends. It offers lovely bays and beaches set among ancient ruins and is a good introduction to the grand garnish of ancient flavours close to Antalya.

A small museum near the entrance houses artefacts found on the site, and an excellent archaeological map of the area. On display are Greek columns encrusted with coral, and pottery, all of which have been dragged from the sea. Bone buttons and slinn vases of opales­cent glass, wonderful bowls tinted the colour of celadon, are all among the relics on display. Visitors wishing to go inside just ask for the key at the refresh­ment stand — very informal!

On our visit we walked along the paved streets, surrounded by verdant brush and tall pines, tripped over pot­tery shards along the wide ‘streets of the city’ and discovered beautifully carved lions on up-ended pillars strewn on a grassy side path. Most of the year the view is enhanced by the snow­capped mountains — but this was August, and the snow was conspicuous by its absence. Once down by the Mediterranean, one passes under the carved marble blocks of Hadrian’s Gate, built in hon­our of his visit in AD 129. A close-up view of the large city baths reveals an inge­nious set of heating discs. We climbed up the steps of a small, elegantly-pro­portioned theatre, to rest awhile among ancient echoes which were never far away in this settíng.

As we were leaving Phaselis we met Zeynep Sumer, a pretty American­Turkish highschool student who was spending her summer working on an archaeological dig. The site, she told us excitedly, ‘is still hardly excavated. So many places to dig, here, they’ve barely begun. But fundíng is always a problem . We showed her the broken clay shards we had found, for identification. She passed them on to an older col­league who said they were ancient Byzantine roof tiles. ‘Better leave them here,’ advised Zeynep with a smile.

Which we did — it is illegal to remove and take any artefacts out of Turkey, even what might seem insignificant pottery shards.