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OREN and CERAMUS |
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OREN and CERAMUS |
| Oren is tucked in a crack in the impenetrable
mountain wall of the northern coast of the Gulf of
Gokova. At one time there was no road to Oren and then
for many years little more than a dirt track. Whilst
there is a road now it remains an arduous journey and it
is still more common for people to visit by boat from Bodrum. Araxa is to be found close
by the village at the upper, northern end of the valley
close under the mountains. Whilst mentioned in several
ancient inscriptions nothing was known about Araxa until
George E. Bean found a long decree at Oren in 1946,
relating part of its history. The discovery of the decree
was not the result of painstaking excavation but:
"The stone was then in use by the women of the
village as a washing-board, for which the lines of
writing provided an admirable surface." Not much remains of the site but there are a number of ‘Gothic’ sarcophagus lids by the riverside and many interesting tombs cut into the base of a low hillock about a mile (1 km) to the west of the village. Oren has another claim to fame with the ancient local legend that Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis here and not in Delos. An inscription found at Sidyma authenticates the legend by placing the birth at Araxa. The legend claims that the river Xanthos was revealed when "in the bitter pangs of her divine labour she tore up with her hands the hard soil of Lycia". Returning to the present day Oren does have a few local restaurants on the beach offering basic but delicious food, which can be appreciated ‘far from the madding crowds’. |
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