ARAPAPISTI CANYON - 4K - The way Alexander the Great used to go to Aphrodisias.

ARAPAPISTI CANYON Arapapıştı Canyon, formed by the abrasion of Akçay, which feeds the Kemer Dam, offers us a unique nature with its 380 m height and 6 km length. Starting at junction point of Aydın, Muğla and Denizli provincial bonders, Arapapıştı Canyon continues as curving forms of canals which are in some points has width of 12 meters. Besides its natural formations, it is one of the rare areas where history and nature combine with the ruins of the city from ancient times. Arapapıştı Canyon, located between the two lakes in Akçay Valley, has been one of the places that people have used to hide and live a religious life since ancient times. There is a mysterious rock tomb located on the slopes of the canyon which is about 2500 years old that any traveler has mentioned before. It is thought that this rock tomb, which is predicted to be Persian, was built for an important person in a position such as a manager or a general. It is known that the Luwians settled near Nazilli, which remained on the borders of Caria in the ancient period. During the Persian domination, this region, like all Western Anatolia, was connected to the Sars Satrapy. The height of the rock tomb dating back to the archaic period (about 6th century BC) is 1.8 meters from the ground and 8 meters wide. When the dam's water level rises, the rock tomb is under water. In the villages of Güvenir, Örencik, Kemer and Körteke, located near the Arapapıştı Canyon, there are ruins dating to the Roman and Byzantine periods, also there is Körteke Castle (Kale Tepe) in the northeast of Körteke. This castle is on a high hill and is one of the leleg type cities of Caria. This city is probably the ancient city of Xyatis. There is an acropolis area on the rocky hill. There are towers one for each in the east and west and a cistern in the middle. Acropolis was surrounded from the south by the inner wall with three towers in the BC 5th century. The presence of marks of different periods on the walls of Körteke Castle suggests that it was used in different ages. The historical Kemer Bridge, which gave the dam its name, was built by the Macedonian King Alexander the Great to go to Aphrodisias with his armies. The bridge made of natural marble is now submerged and can be seen when the water level is low. Now this historical canyon is waiting for its visitors to be discovered.