MILAS 
Sacred city of antiquity

We set off north from Bodrum
to Milas.  After  passing  Lake
Bafa the hills around were covered with  olive trees as
far as the eye could see.
This is a region with more olive trees per person other place in the world. 

As we entered were met  first  by   storks,  and  later  when  we strolling round the city we frequently saw them perched  on  the chimneys of old Milas houses and ancient ruins.

In Milas three colourful houses first caught attention.
With their brightly walls, and white  painted  window  grilles   and  balcony railings, they reminded us of the ginger-bread houses   of fairy tale. 
At first we thought we had come across some of  the  celebrated old houses of Milas, but it turned out that  they  were  Hungarian style houses made by Hungarian and italian builders in the  1930s.

The traditional wooden houses of Milas are hidden in  narrow labyrinthine streets in the heart of the city. Most of the two storey houses are derelict, and stand arm in arm with their neighbours, attempting to keep their balance. They date from the 19th century and were evidently once grand establishments belonging to prosperous families. Some have bay windows, and others jettied upper storeys to catch the maximum amount of sun, light; and breezes. They all have distinctive chimneys and decorations over the windows and on the doors. Some of them are painted blue or yellow with colourful decoration, but the original bright blue has faded, lending the houses the same wistful air that we saw in the eyes of an elderly woman, the last inhabitant of one of the loveliest old houses which we saw in the marketplace.

previous                           next                        main page