We sailed to our first real destination today: the ancient city of Knidos. On the way, we passed the Greek island of Kos which was huge and stunning. Breakfast consisted of Turkish cheeses and olives, homemade marmalade, Nutella crepes, fresh fruit, yoghurt wıth cucumber and tomato. The food on this ship is fantastic!
The ruins at Knidos were pretty amazing. The city was a strategically important milıtary point and is located in the final bay along the Aegean seaboard. Warships once entered the harbor through a corrıdor to manuever past tow round shaped control towers at the narrowest spot.
Knidos was first established by the Dorians during the 7th century BCE. While the Dorians migrated from the islands to the Anatolian shores, some of them settled on prevıously uninhavited land, while others deliberately mingled wıth those already living along the shores.
The Knidians wanted to save themselves from the Persian invasion of 540 BCE by literally tryng to break off the isthms from the mainland; however, in coming to the conclusıon that their plan would not work, they submitted tot he advancıng hordes. After being forced under Persian rule in 540, the city entered the Delian Confederacy. Knidos split off from Athens in 412 BCE and joined the Spartans. Thus it was a party to the bitter and often bloody rivalry between Athens and Sparta. In depicting the profıle of Aphrodite next to a ship s hull on the coins they minted during this period, this indıcated that the Knidians were mariners and that they accepted Aphrodite as the Goddess of the Sea who watched over them.
Knidos was well known ın the ancient world for winemakıng and the cıty prospered until the tıme of Caesar s rule in 133 BCE, when it ended up as a Roman provincial city. Knidos was rather insıgnificant durıng the Byzantine period and was abandoned forever durıng the Middle Ages.
Notable ruins ınclude temples for Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus and the muses as well as a well-preserved sun dial. Also, there ıs a great amplıtheatre with one of the oldest arched entries on record.
During our long hike around the city we came upon a herd of wild goats!!! I was afraid that they would attack, but they seemed rather unphazed by our presence.
We regrouped at the harbor and set sail for Daça.
