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Sidyma (Σίδυμα) was an ancient Lycian town in what is now the small village of Dodurga in Turkey. The ruins are scattered throughout the village.
History of Sidyma
Sidyma, which was largely unimportant throughout its history, lies on the southern slope of Mount Cragus about an hour from Fethiye. The only recorded mention of the town was in the 1st century BC but it dates to at least the early Classical period. British archaeologist Charles Fellows (1799-1860) rediscovered Sidyma in 1839. Most of the remains date to the Byzantine period.
Visiting Sidyma
Sidyma is well off the beaten path, mostly visited by hikers on the Lycian Way and intrepid travelers. There’s not much to see other than a few ruined structures and a handful of impressive sarcophagi and tombs. Nothing is labeled and there’s no map at the site, so besides the tombs, you have to guess what the other structures are. You can wander through the site in about a half hour. I’m not going to go into detail below about what I saw, simply because there’s very little information available.
The real joy in visiting is the hospitality of the residents of Dodurga, who live a traditional way of life that’s rarely seen these days. I spent more time chatting with the locals than exploring the site and had one of the best home-cooked meals I’ve ever eaten in Turkey.
Archaeological Site of Sidyma
Before I set off, a local told me how to find the path through the archaeological site. He pointed to the path and gave me perfect instructions in broken English: “Go go go go go. Big tree. Stop.” That’s all I needed to know, and off I went!
The path follows an old stone wall. Near the beginning, I came to the first ruins. They were a tomb, a church, and a circular structure, perhaps the apse of the church.
Continuing down the path, I came to another tomb and a pair of sarcophagi. The tomb is famous for its ceiling, which is a single slab of stone carved with coffers depicting flowers and faces. I didn’t get a good photo of the ceiling.
I then came to a clearing where two structures sit. One is a mausoleum and another is possibly a church. There are more sarcophagi sitting next to the church.
My exploration of Sidyma ended at the Necropolis, which is full of impressive sarcophagi and a few monumental tombs. You can see evidence of grave robbing in some of them, which have large holes punched into the sides. I’ll leave you with the photos here:
Where to Eat in Dodurga
I stopped into two places in Dodurga after exploring the ruins of Sidyma. This is where I was able to chat with locals and enjoy their hospitality.
Bediha ve Muhtar’ın Yeri
Bediha chased me down in the street and invited me in for tea. She was a little aggressive but I had enough time for a glass or two, so I accepted. She had a group of Turkish travelers there at the time. We had a nice chat, I enjoyed the tea, and moved on. Overall, Bediha was very friendly and offered food but I declined.
Sidyma Rose
Sidyma Rose is next to the path to the ruins. It’s run by a lovely woman, Aynur, who prepares meals using only ingredients from her garden.
I walked in and asked if I could eat lunch and Aynur teyze immediately set the table. She ran back to the house and came out with a basket of homemade bread, beans, tomatoes and cucumbers, sour cherry preserves, and a few other spreads. She also had a fresh pot of tea ready.
We had a nice chat in my broken Turkish and had me call her son, who’s a tour guide in Fethiye. I told her about my life in Colombia and we shared photos of our families, then chatted about life in Dodurga. It was a wonderful experience overall, the food was amazing, and the price was more than reasonable.
After eating, Aynur teyze showed me the rooms she rents to tourists passing through. She’s hosted people from all over the world, many hiking the Lycian Trail. The rooms are comfortable and in a traditional Turkish village home. Hopefully, I’ll have the chance to take a group there one day.
