The tiny town of Dalyan in the province of Mugla on the South-Western Mediterranean is set in the centre of a broad delta whose natural beauty is completely unspoilt. This is one of the surviving corners of paradise, an area of outstanding natural beauty and historic interest. With its 5000 year old history still continuing since ancient Caunos. You will be amazed at the sites of very rare species of birds (you can't see anywhere else in the world), silver medal award winning thermal springs and, natural healing mud baths. Aswell as, spectacular channels weaved like a labyrinth, surrounded with reed beds and endless golden sands.

According to the legends from Heredot, The King of the Caria, Milletos, who is the son of Apollo had twins. The male twin was given the name 'Caunos', and the name of the female twin was 'Byblis'. The twins grew up together and they fell in love with eachother. Secret love was revealed when they had a baby.The king was enraged and he expelled his son from the country. After expulsion, Caunos founded a city near the boundary of Caria. The new city is opposite the town which is called 'Dalyan' today. What happened to Byblis? She couldn't bear to be apart from her lover, threw herself from a hill and died. It is said that the reed beds of Dalyan were formed by her hair and the canals from her tears. Caunos had a unique culture which was an independent state. Since its foundation around 1000 BC Caunos became famous for the trading of salt, salted fish, figs & slavery. The city sprawls over a broad slope overlooking the sea and delta. At Caunos there is an Acropolis surrounded by the city walls, a theatre,four temples, an agora, shops, harbour, Roman bath and cistern. Some of the ruins are still underground and yet undiscovered.

The ancient rock tombs of the Kings have become *another symbol of Dalyan after the famous Sea Turtles, Caretta Carettas. Although there are many rock tombs around the area, the most famous are those which look direct to the Dalyan municipality from the opposite side of the river. These tombs are the resting places of the Kings of Caunos. They are carved in the style of Lycian rock tombs. There are two types of tombs to be found in Dalyan. Simple chambers, cut *into the rock face like a room and more elaborate temple tombs. Many tombs were built with false walls placing valuables behind them so as to fool robbers, eventually this was to no avail as all the tombs were emptied of their treasures. The eternal King Tombs which have been standing there for thousands of years against all the harshness of time and carrying the mysteries of the past to the future had been caved in the gigantic rocks, at some points with an angle of 80 C to the sea, forcing the limits of your mind.

If you are in Dalyan, you surely must take a boat tour. You certainly can not find an answer to the question “how does it feel to be in nature?” until you take in the breathtaking view of the Dalyan Delta or the magic of the rush that makes you feel like you are in a gigantic labyrinth or wandering on a world map. When moving along the rush, the grandness of the steep rocks is a proof of the nature's generosity. The multicolored bird that appears suddenly and demonstrates a nice show on “how to catch fish” with its long rostrum is the kingfisher. Many observers from different parts of the world come to Dalyan to see rare birds, and birds such as this.

As one of the rare beaches that the Caretta Carettas find safe enough to lay their eggs, Ýztuzu is a natural wonder with the award “second beach that maintains its naturality”. It is said there is no beach like Ýztuzu with one side being fresh water and the other side Mediterranean, with golden soft sands and crystal clear water. The people of Caunos used Ýztuzu as a harbor in old times. It is learned from an epitaph that this beach used to be a customs point and the people of Caunos used to sell salt and salted fish there. The beach is 5400 m long and there is no construction allowed except for the changing cabins. Also, in order to avoid any possible damage to the Caretta Caretta eggs, dogs are not allowed on the beach, and at certain points, it is prohibited to place an umbrella.

The cute Caretta Carettas, which are on the list of “animals in danger of exhaustion”, come to the Ýztuzu Beach to lay their eggs. Caretta Carettas are considered as “luxury food” in France, Italy and the Far East countries and over-hunting has almost wiped off their species. Ýztuzu is under a strict protection and maybe, after a few decades, all the Caretta Carettas around the seas of the world will have been born in Ýztuzu. The length of Caretta Carettas, which are estimated to be 95 Million years old, varies between 115-150 cm. Their life span is thought to be about 70 years. Caretta Carettas, which lay more than 100 eggs once in 2-3 years, bury their eggs in only one of the holes 80-100 that they dig.

It is told, even the ancient Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, frequented the mudbaths of Dalyan regularly. These natural baths are one of the most popular places for famous people from all around the world. Some of them are, the well known Media Emperor Robert Maxwell, Prince of Spain Felipe De Carlos and his wife Princess Alexia, actors Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson, singers Sting and David Bowie, former President of France Mr. Truoudu, President of UEFA Mr. Johansen and the Mexican Tequila King Antonio Simon Perez. It is said that as the mud dries, it tightens on your skin and if you continue doing this for some time, the wrinkles on your body disappear. The spring is said to be good also for rheumatism, stomach problems and sciatica.

Apart from its natural beauties, Dalyan is also known as the “healing place”. Many famous people coming here from all over the world is the perfect sign of this popularity. It is hard to underestimate the number of people who say they had suffered waist pains, rheumatism and sciatica until they came here. The first of these places is the Sultaniye Thermal Water. The water in the Sultaniye Thermal Water had been used in the times of the Kaunos people. Later, the Byzantines turned this place into a stopover. The ruins from that period are under the waters of Lake of Köycegiz.

The interaction of pine trees and the coast of Sarýgerme, with its fine sand against the backdrop of beautiful pine trees, has continued for centuries. It is the site of the ancient city of Physilis. This city is now buried under the shifting sand. The name Sarigerme is linked to the Saricay Stream that divides Osmaniye and the coast. The Saricay was once used as the transportation route for timber that was brought from the forest to the sea. To prevent the timber from escaping into the sea the stream's outlet into the ocean was closed during times of timber transportation. Sarigerme, with its seven kilometres of coastline, shallow sea and the island of Babaada not too far in the distance, is truly a perfect place to visit.