Chimaira (Lycia)
Chimaira ( ancient Greek Χίμαιρα Chímaira , Latinized Chimaera ) or Turkish Yanartaş ("burning stone") has been a place in Lycia , Asia Minor , which has been known since ancient times and where a rare, millennia-old natural phenomenon can still be observed today. From the rocky bottom of a mountain slope, flames break out in two separate areas in several places - the "eternal fires of the fire-breathing Chimaira ", which gave the place its ancient name.
Chimaira was a place of worship near the ancient city of Olympos , today near the village of Çıralı , about 70 km southwest of Antalya in Turkey . Both fire fields are on the Lycian long-distance hiking trail .
Hephaestus cult
Ancient reports show that the nearby city of Olympos was famous for its cult of Hephaestus . His sanctuary, the Hephaistion , must have been here - but no archaeological evidence was found. The inscriptions on the marble tablets, which are still scattered between the flames, unfortunately give no indication of this. The remains of a small medieval church speak for the tradition of a cultic place.
The fires
There are two fire fields about 1 km apart, of which mostly only the lower fire field is visited. It can be easily reached from Çıralı in about 30 minutes uphill (an entrance fee of 7 Lira is charged, as of 2018). The way to the upper fire field from Ulupınar is without entry, but much more difficult.
According to tradition, the flames are said to have shone far across the sea in ancient times and helped seafarers with orientation. Today, 250 meters above the coast, around 2 km from the sea, only a few small flames can be seen in a small clearing in a dense forest area. Every now and then they reach a height of 50 cm, sometimes they are barely noticeable during the day. The height of the flames also changes due to the respective air pressure.
The fire is created by burning gases that come out of cracks, crevices and smaller openings in a rocky slope. The composition cannot be clearly determined - it evidently changes, as does the quantity and exit points in the past centuries. Today the main part is methane with almost 60 percent, nitrogen is around 30 percent and oxygen is around 10 percent.
See also
- Yanar Dağ , a similar apparition in Azerbaijan
Web links
Coordinates: 36 ° 25 ′ 53 ″ N , 30 ° 27 ′ 21 ″ E