Dalyan... About 70 km east of Marmaris, at a place called Yuvarlak Cay, signs point south (right) to "The Graves of Likya" and "The Ruins of Caunos", nine km down a side road. Coming by bus, get out at Ortaca and catch a dolmus to Dalyan. The road brings you to the settlement - a small farming and fishing town with a sideline in tourism - through lush cotton and vegetable fields, along the winding course of a stream, the Dalyan Cayi. On the town's tidy quay you can choose an excursion boat for a cruise to the ruins of Caunos, the pretty cove at Ekincik, the beach at Iztuzu on the Mediterranean coast or up the Dalyan Cayi stream to Koycegiz Lake. A two-hour tour just to the Caunos ruins costs US $ 12 to US $ 18 for the entire boat; if you want to visit the Sultaniye hot springs as well, figure on three hours and US $ 25 for the boat. If you would also like to go to Iztuzu beach for a swim, it'll take four to five hours and cost US $ 36 for the boat. Do some haggling to get the best price, particularly if there are many boats without work. The river excursion boats can carry about 12 people. Boats belonging to the "Dalyan Kooperatifi" operate a river "dolmus" service between the town and Iztuzu beach, charging US $ 1 for the round trip. In high summer there may be five or more boats per day, heading our from 9 to 11 am, returning between 4 and 6 pm. Take some food as you might not like the few little kebap stands on the beach, which has a few other facilities. The beach, by the way, is renowned as a nesting - place for sea turtles - an endangered species, Caretta Caretta. There are three ways of reaching Caunos which attract great attention today owing to its Venetian type of channel and Lycian type of tombs. The visitors who come by means of their yachts, land on the island named Delikli Ada and reach the site of the ruins by starting off in small boats from here; those who come from Marmaris by sea route, drop anchor in the vicinity of Delikli Ada and also reach the site of the ruins in small boats; and those who come by land route, reach the ruins by starting boats from the Village of Dalyan which is at a distance of 27 km from Köycegiz. The existance of the ruins of Caunos was first discovered in the year 1842, and excavations have been carried on there by the Turkish archaeologists under the supervision of Prof. Baki Ögün since 1967. Caunos, the son of Miletos, had been indicated as the founder of the city and therefore, it had been named Caunos.

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The city was first captured by the Persians and then by Alexander and in the year 189 BC, it was made subject to the Kingdom of Rhodes. We know that it continued until the year 167 BC. Caunos was the subjected to the kingdom of Pergamon and was brought directly under the sovereignty of Rome after 133 BC. You reach the site of the ruins by means of channel adorned with Lycian type tombs belonging to the 4^th century BC. The first place that we see is the acropolis of Caunos. The northern part of the city wall, which surrounds the acropolis, belongs to the period of Mausolos. The northwestern part has Hellenistic qualities. And starting from the harbour are seen the city walls of Cyclopean type belonging to the Archaic Period.

The theater belonging to the Roman Period is located at the skirt of the acropolis and its southern part is carved in the rock; the other parts are shaped into seats supported by gable roof vaults. There are 33 rows of seats, the scene has collapsed and the part of the orchestra has been filled in. A temple, revealed by the recent excavations, is located at far west of the theater, and a church and the magnificent walls of the Roman Bath are visible beyond it. Another temple belonging to the Roman Period is located behind the bath. As we go downwards, we see the remains of a wall built in the shape of three-fourths of a circle with a row of columns on it and, behind it, a temple of the Doric order.

The locality called Sülüklü Göl (Lake of Leeches) in Caunos today, was a harbour closed by means of chains during the Antique Period. The excavations performed at the north of this harbour have revealed a stoa which used to form a part of the port agora. The fountain near the stoa has a plan of inantis style and has been restored recently, and the inscription which is seen on its side facing the harbour, contains the written decrees concerning the customs house.