Saturday, May 14, 2011

Becin Kalesi.

Mosque Stratonikeia

We just had time to have a look at the restored 19th century mosque in Stratonikeia, when a tour bus pulled in.
So peaceful here.


We had been privileged to have the place to ourselves as we ambled around.

The Minbar, seen from the women's gallery

We set out for our last stop of the day but the sight of a man herding his goats had us shouting at the driver to stop the car and three women reaching for their cameras.
The man was very obliging, amenable to having his photo taken.

The goatherd, grazing his flock at the side of the road

His dogs


From there is was on to Becin Kalesi, a few miles south of Milas on the road to Oren. This is a medieval  fortress built high on a rock above Milas. Originally Byzantine, it was taken over by the Mentese emirs.

Becin Kalesi seen from near the Medrese

The Castle

The house in the fortress where the remaining inhabitant lives.


Nowadays, one old lady lives inside the walls, with her sheep.



This old lady, sitting by herself, is the last inhabitant of Becin Kalesi






The sheep roam freely within the old castle walls

The ruins cover an extensive area and include the Medrese of Ahmet Ghazi.
Ahmet Ghazi Medrese

View from the entrance gate

One of the many trees growing within the castle ruins

An ancient olive tree

The old hamam

Reflected light.



 We spent a pleasant hour here, admiring the wonderful views. A nice conclusion to our trip.

The fortress form the rear

View from near the hamam.
View out over the plain, to the south of Milas.

Milas seen from Becin Kalesi

We would spend the next couple of days relaxing and preparing for the journey home.

1 comment:

  1. Mary thank you for sharing your travels in Turkey with us and your stunning photographs.

    ReplyDelete

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