CHIMAERA

Also known as Yanartash or Burning Rock, the Chimaera is a cluster of spontaneous flames from crevices on the rocky slopes of Olympos (not to be confused with Mt. Olympus here in Bursa).  In mythology, the flames were attributed to the breath of the Chimaera - part lion, part goat and part serpent (or dragon).  He was the fierce and monstrous son of the earth goddess and was so frightening that Zeus set him on fire and buried him alive, thereby creating a volcano.  The Chimaera was killed by the hero Bellerophon on the orders of the King of Lycia, riding Pegasus, the winged horse,  pouring molten lead into the Chimaera's mouth.  Today, the gas still seeps from the earth and bursts into flames upon contact with the air.  The exact composition of the gas is unknown.  The flames can be extinguished by covering them, but they will re-ignite when uncovered.  In ancient times they were used as a guide by coastal mariners.  For the ultimate effect, it is best to climb the 1 km track just before dusk and wait for dark.  And don't forget to bring a good flashlight for the descent.  We, unfortunately saw them in the day, but they were still impressive.  We do plan to make a return visit and will do Olympos first, as we did not see all of it, and the Chimaera in the evening.

The mountains of the Chimaera; we weren't quite there yet when this photo was taken; the beginning of the path to the top.  It was quite a steep climb, not all stone like this, but well marked, with beautiful views all the way.  It took about  30 minutes to reach the top.

 

Different views of the many flames that were burning.  This trail is also part of the Lycian Way, a 500 km walking trek from Fethiye to Antalya, partly inland and partly along the coast of ancient Lycia

At the top there was also the ruins of a Byzantine church, possibly once a temple to Vulcan

The preserved frescoes were beautiful; Greek inscriptions and the remains of one of the walls

The view from part way down to the beach of Cirali.  The city of Olympos goes down the mountain, right to the ocean.  The day we visited Chimaera was a very quiet day, so we were able to visit with the attendant at the site.  He gave us directions to a closer entrance to Olympos - driving down to this beach rather than going back to the main road  and driving further along the mountain to the "main" entrance, ie, the paying entrance.   We parked at this beautiful beach and walked along a few meters and entered from the bottom end.  There was a guard stand there, but was unattended, so we wandered around until just before dusk.

So, on to Olympos......