Kaunos

Kavn (Kaunos) is an ancient city in Turkey, near the town of Dalyana. Many tourists who have visited the cities of Dalaman and Marmaris have heard of it, but few have visited this ancient city. Almost all excursions cover only the ancient necropolis in the rocky area north of Kavna.

According to legends, the city was founded by Kavn, the son of the demigod Miletus. He ran away to these parts because of his love for his sister, Lydia. At one time, Herodotus mentioned the inhabitants of the city in one of his books. During the excavations, it turned out that the city was created about a thousand years ago BC. This is evidenced by the found fragments of amphorae made around 850 BC. At that time, the city was called Kbid. Around the 6th century BC, the city became an important trading harbor. At that time, Lake Siuluklu and Ala were a single bay, which allowed ships to sail to the port of Kavna. Then Persian troops came to these lands, and the inhabitants of the city put up a worthy resistance, but the Persians significantly outnumbered and took the city.

The Persians held Asia Minor for about a century, until Kavn joined the Athenian Maritime Union. The Greeks received large sums of money from the cities, with which they were able to raise an army and weaken the Persian army. The Athenians also built many buildings in the city, the remains of which can be seen today. In the second century, the Romans came here, who expanded the port, built baths, fountains, and temples. The theater they built today is one of the most popular places.

With the collapse of the Roman Empire, the city became part of Byzantium, but in the 7th century it fell into decline due to Arab raids, and later several earthquakes occurred. Siltation of the river was added to all the troubles, and the city lost its port status. Around the 1420s, an epidemic occurred in Kavna, followed by another earthquake and the city became depopulated. The city was forgotten until the 19th century, and archaeological excavations have been carried out in Kavna since the 1960s.

It is difficult to get to the city by land, they sail here along the Dalyana River.