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Knidos (Κνίδος) is an archaeological site at the very end of Datça Peninsula, about a 45 minute drive from the town of Datça.
Brief History of Knidos
Knidos, or Cnidus, was an ancient Greek city in the Caria (Καρία) region. It was originally situated at the site of the modern town of Datça, but relocated to the present site in the 4th century BC. The city was partly on the mainland and partly on an island connected by a causeway.
Knidos became very wealthy through trade thanks to its position at the south of the Aegean Sea. It was an important city during the Byzantine period when many churches were built. Excavations first took place from 1857 to 1858 under British archaeologist Sir Charles Thomas Newton (1816-1894). Many findings are now on display in the British Museum in London. Excavation continues today.
Visiting Knidos
At the end of the road is a small parking lot. Follow the path through the gates until you come to the ticket booth and main entrance. Admission is 50₺ (as of May 2023) and the site is open daily. There are many structures that have been excavated and even partially reconstructed since my first visit in November 2013, but information in English is still somewhat limited.
Lower Terrace of Knidos
The path just inside the entrance to the archaeological site takes you through the middle of the lower terrace. It’s lined with building fragments, column drums and capitals, and altars. There’s information for some of them, but during my visits most of the info has been in Turkish only.
First is an example of an entablature, which is a collection of horizontal roof elements sitting atop one another. The architrave is at the bottom, the frieze block is in the middle, and the cornice block is on top. Surviving entablatures found at Knidos were built in the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders. This specific entablature dates to the 2nd century during the Roman period.
Next is a collection of round altars, which were found all over Knidos, especially in the necropolis. They were used since the 6th century BC and were placed in front of graves. The altars were often decorated with garlands, bull heads, or snakes.
Finally, you’ll notice a limestone block with graffiti of the Hieros Gamos (Holy Marriage). It was originally located at the south terrace wall on the Sanctuary of Apollo at Emecik. The image depicts a man on the left with his hand stretched out to a woman’s chin. The woman, with wavy hair down to her chest, is taking his phallus in her hand.
Temple of Dionysus / Church C
Halfway down the path is the Temple of Dionysus, which was built during the Hellenistic period. It was identified as such due to the friezes depicting scenes of the life of Dionysus.
A three-aisled church known as Church C was built into the ruins of the temple before the 6th century. The narthex is to the west and the apse is to the east. The best-preserved part of the church is the apse.
Small Theatre
The small theatre is on the east side of the archaeological site overlooking the Commercial Harbor (today’s marina). You actually walk past it on your way to the entrance and can see it from outside the fence.
The theatre had a capacity of 5,000 and had vaulted entrances to the east and west. It was first built in the 2nd century BC but the current appearance dates to the 1st or 2nd century AD. The stage building was probably two stories high and had niches decorated with statues. Local limestone and marble was used in the theatre’s construction.
Stoa
A long stoa lines the north side of the lower terrace, running between Theatre Street to the east and Harbor Street to the west. It was built during the Hellenistic period and measures 132 meters long by 13 meters wide. The stoa collapsed in the 3rd century and was excavated between 1996 and 2006.
The stoa contained 27 rectangular shops measuring 5 x 4 meters under the columned gallery. The outer walls were covered in marble and opus sectile mosaics with marble from North Africa and Italy. The inner walls were lined with plaster.
The columned gallery was built in the Corinthian order with grayish white marble columns. It was added to the stoa in the 1st or 2nd century AD and was 7.5 meters high.
Heroon of Symmachos
On the westernmost stall of the stoa you’ll find a reconstruction of the Heroon of Symmachos. It was built between 115 and 130 to honor Symmachos, a benefactor of Knidos. It measures roughly 6 x 6 meters and features two piers on each end and two columns at the entrance. The walls and floor are covered with opus sectile panels.
The back of the heroon has three podiums on which statues were once exhibited. The statues on the left and right podiums were never found. The original statue from the middle is on display in the Knidos Hall of the Marmaris Museum, and a copy sits on the center podium in the heroon.
An inscription on the righthand podium indicates the building’s dedication to Symmachos:
Demos (people), Boule (assembly), Mnemonion (board ol notables) and Gerousia (board of elders) honoured the benefactor Symmachos, son of Symmachos, grandson of Aristokleidas: dedicated to the gods.
Harbor Street
Harbor Street runs north to south along the west end of Knidos. It leads from the lower terrace up to the upper terraces.
Military Harbor
At the south end of Harbor Street is the Military Harbor, which was used for the protection of Knidos. The mouth of the harbor was fortified with a series of towers.
Fountain of Boulakrates
Next is the Fountain of Boulakrates. It’s a cylindrical structure made of white marble sitting on a pedestal measuring 3 x 3 meters. It was built in the 1st century BC by Boulakrates, who at the time was responsible for the city’s water supply. The fountain was reconstructed using a combination of original and new material.
Church D
Just west of Harbor Street is Church D. This three-aisled church measured 36 x 16 meters and was first excavated in the late 1960s and early 1970s by American archaeologist Iris Love (1933-2020). It was excavated again in 2014 and partially reconstructed.
Architectural elements are organized in the areas around the church. You’ll be able to see columns and other fragments including column capitals with crosses.
Shops Along Harbor Street
Across the street from Church D is a complex of seven rooms believed to be used as shops. They were built during the Late Classical or Early Hellenistic periods and used up until the 7th century. Sometime during the Roman period, Room 4 was converted to an elegantly decorated heroon, with the addition of a columned façade and marble walls and floors.
Upper Terraces at Knidos
The upper terraces at Knidos contained more structures used for worship as well as government buildings. There are also some great views from up there. It’s possible to spot four Greek islands and a hidden cove.
Propylon
At the top of Harbor Street is the Propylon. It was built in the Ionic order during the Early Hellenistic period and provided an entrance to the Temple of Apollo. The Propylon measured 11 x 8 meters and had 4 columns along the façade. The city’s drainage system ran under the structure.
Temple of Apollo
The Temple of Apollo was laid out in an east to west direction with the entrance at the east. It measured 19 x 11 meters and contained a colossal statue of Apollo. Only the knee and fragments of the leg were found.
The altar sat in front of temple. It measured 11 x 7 meters and was made of blocks covered with grayish blue marble. Friezes of nymphs discovered at the site are on display at the Marmaris Museum. They were sculpted by Theon of Antioch and Zenotodos of Knidos in the early 2nd century BC.
Tholos
At the highest point of the archaeological site is the Tholos, which was made of gray marble and built in the 2nd century. The entrance was via a set of steps to the east and the cella was surrounded by columns topped with Corinthian capitals. The Tholos has been associated as the Temple of Aphrodite.
The foundations of buildings survive to the east and west of the Tholos. They were used as treasuries or store rooms. A longer building to the east may have been used for religious ceremonies or to accommodate guests.
Bouleuterion
On a terrace east of Harbor Street is the Bouleuterion dating to the Roman period. It was where council members met.
Corinthian Temple
A Corinthian temple sits a few steps away. It was built during the reign of Hadrian in the early 2nd century. Nearby is a sundial.
Church B
The final major structure on the upper terraces of Knidos is Church B. It was a three-aisled basilica built south of a Doric stoa. The church had three apses, a mosaic floor, and a synthronon. We noticed a very interesting inscription in Arabic dating to an Umayyad invasion in the 670s.
Commercial Harbor / Knidos Marina
Finally, south of the theatre is the Commercial Harbor, which was used for trade during ancient times. Today, it’s outside of the archaeological park and serves as the Knidos Marina. In the summer, there are all kinds of boats and yachts moored there, but in the low season, it’s usually completely empty.
The marina features a pier that juts out into crystal clear water. I would love to have jumped right into the water and had a nice swim.
Knidos Lighthouse
If you have more time to spend, I would suggest taking the hike out to the Knidos Lighthouse. It sits on a cape at the westernmost point of the Datça Peninsula. You can walk to it in about 20 or 30 minutes. The best time to go is before sunset, when you can watch the sun go down over the island of Kos.
