Datça Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Datça Peninsula is an 80 km-long, narrow peninsula
in southwest Turkey
separating the Gulf of Gökova
to the north from the Gulf of Hisarönü to the south. The peninsula corresponds almost exactly to the administrative district of Datça
, part of Muğla Province
. The town of Datça
is located at its half-way point.
In the early 20th century, it was called the Reşadiye Peninsula ; other names include the Dorian or Cnidos Peninsula or the Chersonisos Cnidia.
At the tip of the peninsula in its extreme west is the locality called Tekir, marked by Cape Deveboynu, formerly Cape Crio/Kriyo. The cape in itself is a small peninsula which is nearly an island, connected to the mainland by a low, 100m-wide spit of land; in antiquity it was a man-made causeway. The ancient name of the island was Triopion, after Triopas
, the legendary founder of Knidos.
The peninsula's eastern end is Bencik Cove, about 1.5 km in length and sometimes referred to as a fjord
on the basis of local scales, and at the end of its indentation is the narrow isthmus
where Datça Peninsula joins the Anatolia
n mainland is found. This point is a natural curiosity which offers a wide view of the two gulfs in the north and the south. The locality is called Balıkaşıran (literally, the place where fish may leap across) and is also often used for the portage of small boats .
The north coast is low, with vast beaches swept by the meltem
winds in the summer. The south coast is dramatically rocky and indented. Because of the natural beauty of its many bays and harbors, the peninsula is often visited by private yacht
s, and is included in the boat tours usually departing from Bodrum
or Marmaris
and termed Blue Cruise
s.
There are ruins of Greek cities both at Datça and Tekir, one or both of which may correspond to ancient Knidos
(q.v.).
.
Both the town and the peninsula of Datça were called Reşadiye for a brief period in the beginning of the 20th century, honoring the penultimate Ottoman
Sultan
Mehmed V Reşad, and some maps may still refer to the peninsula under this name; today Reşadiye is the name of one of the quarters of the town.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in southwest Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
separating the Gulf of Gökova
Gulf of Gökova
Gulf of Gökova or Gulf of Kerme , is a long , narrow gulf of the Aegean Sea between Bodrum Peninsula and Datça Peninsula in south-west Turkey.Administratively, Gulf of Gökova coastline includes portions of the districts of, clockwise, Bodrum, Milas,...
to the north from the Gulf of Hisarönü to the south. The peninsula corresponds almost exactly to the administrative district of Datça
Datça
Datça is a district of Muğla Province in south-west Turkey, and the center town of the district. The center is situated midway through the peninsula which carries the same name as the district and the town .-Geography:...
, part of Muğla Province
Mugla Province
Muğla Province is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are on the coast in Muğla....
. The town of Datça
Datça
Datça is a district of Muğla Province in south-west Turkey, and the center town of the district. The center is situated midway through the peninsula which carries the same name as the district and the town .-Geography:...
is located at its half-way point.
In the early 20th century, it was called the Reşadiye Peninsula ; other names include the Dorian or Cnidos Peninsula or the Chersonisos Cnidia.
Main features
The eastern half of the peninsula is bare, mountainous and scarcely inhabited. In the middle of the peninsula, centered around the town of Datça, is the peninsula's largest area of good land, extending towards the southwest of its median isthmus dividing the two halves of the land mass. The western part is also mountainous, rising in places over 1,000 meters, but has towards its western end on the south side a considerable extent of well-watered land reaching to the coast at Palamutbükü locality and supporting a group of villages known collectively as Betçe (the five villages).At the tip of the peninsula in its extreme west is the locality called Tekir, marked by Cape Deveboynu, formerly Cape Crio/Kriyo. The cape in itself is a small peninsula which is nearly an island, connected to the mainland by a low, 100m-wide spit of land; in antiquity it was a man-made causeway. The ancient name of the island was Triopion, after Triopas
Triopas
In Greek mythology, Triopas, Triophas or Triops was the name of several characters, whose relations are unclear. He belonged to the house of Phoroneus....
, the legendary founder of Knidos.
The peninsula's eastern end is Bencik Cove, about 1.5 km in length and sometimes referred to as a fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
on the basis of local scales, and at the end of its indentation is the narrow isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
where Datça Peninsula joins the Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n mainland is found. This point is a natural curiosity which offers a wide view of the two gulfs in the north and the south. The locality is called Balıkaşıran (literally, the place where fish may leap across) and is also often used for the portage of small boats .
The north coast is low, with vast beaches swept by the meltem
Etesian
The etesians ', sometimes found in the Latin form etesiae), meltemi μελτέμι , or meltem are the strong, dry north windsof the Aegean Sea, which blow from about mid-May to mid-September...
winds in the summer. The south coast is dramatically rocky and indented. Because of the natural beauty of its many bays and harbors, the peninsula is often visited by private yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s, and is included in the boat tours usually departing from Bodrum
Bodrum
Bodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
or Marmaris
Marmaris
Marmaris is a port city and a tourist resort on the Mediterranean coast, located in southwest Turkey, in Muğla Province.Marmaris' main source of income is tourism. Little is left of the sleepy fishing village that Marmaris was just a few decades ago after a construction boom in the 1980s...
and termed Blue Cruise
Blue Cruise
A Blue Cruise, also known as a Blue Voyage , is a term used for recreational voyages along the Turkish Riviera, on Turkey's southwestern coast...
s.
There are ruins of Greek cities both at Datça and Tekir, one or both of which may correspond to ancient Knidos
Knidos
Knidos or Cnidus is an ancient settlement located in Turkey. It was an ancient Greek city of Caria, part of the Dorian Hexapolis. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the southern side of the Sinus Ceramicus, now known as Gulf of Gökova. By the fourth century BC, Knidos was located...
(q.v.).
Names
It was called the Dorian Peninsula because it was settled by Dorian colonists from the PeloponnesePeloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
.
Both the town and the peninsula of Datça were called Reşadiye for a brief period in the beginning of the 20th century, honoring the penultimate Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mehmed V Reşad, and some maps may still refer to the peninsula under this name; today Reşadiye is the name of one of the quarters of the town.
External links
- datcarehberi.com in Turkish.