The first location of Cnidus was half-way along the Datca peninsula. The residents moved it to its present site both on the Island of Tropium and on the mainland in about 365 B.C. The island is now connected to the mainland by a low, narrow isthmus which forms two small good harbors. Its citizens grew wealthy from commerce; the peninsula was famous for its wine. It was a center of culture: two theaters and an odeum suggest many hours of entertainment.
The city also had a good medical school. Praxiteles’ most famous statue, that of the nude Aphrodite, was bought by the city after the people of Cos rejected it in favor of a more modest and less celebrated woman. The original of the Cnidus statue is still being hunted; the best copy is in the Vatican Museum.
Ctesias, the Persian historian, was a native of Cnidus as was Sostratus, the builder of the Pharos at Alexandria. The Pharos was a lighthouse considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Eudoxus, one of the great astronomers, was also born in Cnidus. He perhaps was the head of Plato’s Academy when Aristotle joined it in Plato’s absence in 367 B.C. Eudoxus had his own school later in Cyzicus. He made a map of the stars and invented the horizontal sun dial.
There were a number of temples in the city, among them ones to Dionysus and Aphrodite. Games were celebrated there in honor of Apollo and Poseidon. The agora, the Temple of Aphrodite, the odeum, and two theaters can be seen in the ruins, thanks to recent excavations.
Cnidus was the last landfall mentioned in Asia Minor in Paul’s journey from Jerusalem to Rome. He had been put on an Egyptian ship in Myra which sailed up the coast to Cnidus; because of headwinds they took a good many days to reach it (Acts 27:7). They probably did not anchor there because of the inclement weather which continued and in fact got much worse. Instead, they went on to Fair Havens in Crete where Paul advised them to winter, but, a southerly breeze springing up, the captain put out to sea again hoping for a better harbor. The wind changed and “for days on end there was no sign of either sun or stars, a great storm was raging, and our last hopes of coming through alive began to fade” (Acts 27:20).
They had run out of food before Paul saw a vision in which he was promised safe journey for himself and all on board. After two weeks they were shipwrecked, but all were saved: some swam to land, some paddled ashore on planks or parts of the broken ship. It was the island of Malta where they landed and then spent the winter. With better weather they continued on to Rome where according to tradition Paul immeasurably strenghtened the church, wrote some of his undying letters, was tried as an incendiary in the great fire during the reign of Nero, and was executed.
Knidos Lion “This colossal lion weighs some six tons. Made from one piece of marble, it was mounted on a base crowning a funerary monument. The monument itself was square with a circular interior chamber and a stepped-pyramid roof. It is a type of funerary monument inspired by the greater tomb of Maussollos, built about 350 BC”
After a long weekend in Istanbul, Datca is an unexpected but added bonus for us. we were there with the group of friend. First of all I'd like to suggest you to visit knidos with the boat, if you can.. if not there is a narrow, little hard rod is waiting for you. Knidos was a nice and rich city…
it is a difficult place to reach because of the road, but well worth the trip. I like the view, especially when you are travelling along the dangerous rod, if you can sit back and relax, which is difficult to do, the view is excellent. The ancient Greek town is really interesting, highly recommend it.
We had a half a page description of an unmapped hike before we began our 8km journey, that included a wild dog, two cows, seaside farmers, a nomad goat shepherd family, two ruins, plenty of laugh, and a destination…. For me, once a city girl:) it turned out to be one of the greatest pleasures of my lifetime…. During which…
We visited the ruins just a few days ago and found them to be much bigger than we expected. 2 harbours, an amphitheatre and all the roman baths clearly visible. Wonderful scenery across the bay and an awesome atmosphere. We stayed overnight at the Antik Apartments in Datca and our visit was arranged by the proprietor on one of his…
4,000 year old once dynamic and prospering city, the ruins still being unearthed. It takes a good 3 hours to tour. Wonderful setting, so tranquil. Two harbours from classical times, they don't look sheltered but they are. This is a beautiful place. The dockside berthing was very efficiently handled for us too.
Ashore is a real gem of a taverna…
Spread over two hillsides, Knidos is like a diagrammatic guide to the shape of a Hellenistic city. The location – two harbours, sea on both sides – makes it one of the most attractive sites to explore, and is a text-book reminder of how important sea travel was in the ancient world!
If you are visiting Datca, take a boat tour to Knidos, and swim in the turquiose bays. It is a historical place you have to buy tickets to visit the entire place.
We weren't expecting much because we had an old guide book and the site must have been excavated recently. In fact they are still at it. One gets a good feeling of what this town with its two interlinked ports must have been like in its heyday. The vows from the hill over the sea are staggering.
I always love wandering around Greek ruins, this isn't the best but the sunset from here is just stunning, not to be missed!
Really nice quiet place with no crowds and lots to see. You're able to walk/climb freely through all the ruins and really get a feel for how it must have been. As the site is still actively being worked on, you are also able to watch people cleaning and restoring parts of the ruins.
Make sure your camera has a…