Wednesday 5 June

What could have been an hours drive from Şirince to Bodrum took us all day after we made a couple of significant detours to take in two more ancient sites.

The ruins at Priene are the remains of what was once a harbour city. The silting of the Büyük Menderes River Delta means that the main viewpoints in the ruins now offer only distant views of the sea. It was the same silting process that led to the decline of Ephesus.

The city was built around 350BC but earthquakes and silting have left it a jumble of broken columns interspersed with recognisable features such as the theatre and amphitheatre.

The most spectacular feature is the Athena Temple, paid for by Alexander the Great. In the 1900’s five of the 66 columns were reconstructed, providing an impressive sight with Mykale Mountain as a backdrop.

Next stop Lake Bafra. Yet another place that was once by the sea. The same silting river that finished Priene as a port also created Lake Bafra. We had considered some epic hikes into the surrounding Beşparmak Mountains but the midday heat persuaded us to set more realistic goals.

We settled for a short stroll to the lakeshore overlooking the ruined 12th century monastery on a nearby island and then a scramble over the castle ruins and remains of the rock tombs of Herakleia.