Page 53 - Журнал «Русский Берег» #14-2022

RUSSIAN COAST | № 6/14 2022 ПРОГНОЗЫ | PREDICTION

MYSTERIOUS TOMBS, UNDERGROUND LABYRINTHS, SNAKE CAVES AND HALLS
ENG
WITH MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS - UNEXPLORED PLACES BECKON TRAVELERS LIKE
STAR ASTROLOGERS. IN THIS ARTICLE, ASTROLOGER ELENA CHELIK TALKS ABOUT TOURIST
ROUTES WITH AN ATMOSPHERE OF MYSTICISM.

WHAT THE TOMBS OF KEKOVA YILANKALE CASTLE
ARE SILENT ABOUT IN ADANA
A small yacht glides along the sea surface past rocky When it comes to women, mysticism and mystery are
cliffs and the ruins of an ancient settlement. The outlines of somewhere nearby. On the eastern bank of the Ceyhan
buildings are slowly floating overboard - part of the city River in the province of Adana, on a rocky hill, rise the
is hidden under water. The steps of the stairs going into horseshoe-shaped towers of Yylankale - the Serpent
the depths plunge the traveler's mind into thinking about Castle. Historians attribute the time of the construction
whether the real world is reflected in the mirror of the water, of the fortress to the XII-XIII centuries, when Cilicia - that
or vice versa, does the hidden by the sea acquire its earthly was the name of this land then - was ruled by Armenian
counterpart? kings. But the locals consider Yylankale the home of
Kekova is an archipelago of many islands, bearing the Shahmeran - the queen of snakes and the character of
name of the largest of them. Some islets are so submerged Turkish legends.
in the sea that only their small stone ridges are visible. This According to one of the legends, a peasant youth,
area sank during the earthquake that shook Lycia in the 2nd having got lost in a mountain cave, ended up in the
century BC. The ancient city of Dolichiste also suffered, its kingdom of Serpents. Queen Shahmeran ruled there - a
coastal buildings were 12 meters underwater. The cataclysm half-woman, half-snake. Her human face was beautiful,
destroyed residential buildings, baths, the sewerage system and her torso ended in a snake's head. The queen herself
- and the inhabitants left the island city that had become and her subjects owned the secrets of healing. Snakes
an island. Now this is a tourist route - we can observe the possessed wisdom, knowledge and kindness. They did
architecture of the partially sunken Dolichiste as traces of a not hide their skills in medicine from a young man who
developed Lycian civilization. stayed in this magical land for years.
The symbol of Kekova is stone sarcophagi. These are
tombs carved from solid stone on high pedestals. In a sense,
the Lycians secured immortality with these burials - the
islands and the settlement of Simena, where the sarcophagi
are located, attract pilgrims from all over the world.
The valley of sarcophagi is perfectly visible from the sites
of the ancient fortress Simena Kalesi, whose walls rise above
the bay. The place of construction, excellently chosen from
the point of view of military art, allowed not only the Lycians
and Romans, but also the Turks, who fought in these places
with the Greeks during the Balkan wars, to have a military
advantage in battles with enemies.
Now this place is filled with peace. Among the inhabitants
of cozy pensions, there are many who settle here for two
or three months, coming in search of inspiration and peace
of mind - these are writers, artists and connoisseurs of a
relaxing holiday tired of the bustle of the city. For them, the
necropolis and sunken cities are symbols of the course of life
and the inevitability of death. The locals are not so reverent
towards stone rarities - on the pedestal of the sarcophagus
in the center of the village, chatting gossips put heavy bags,
right there the kids are chasing a soccer ball, dreaming of
playing for Besiktas or Galatasaray.

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