Why Dont The Turks Protect Their History?

[barry44544]

Have a look around London... we have mapped where the ruins are.... then built office blocks on them..!!

[peecee]

Don't know whether it's true or not but was doing a tourist trip a couple of years ago.  Chatting to the guide he basically said that Turkey, as a country, has been brought up with ethos that there is no history before Ataturk.  It was the start of a new (combined) country, a new beginning and nothing that came before counted.

[lissa]

I dont think that this could have been a licensed guide as these learn all about the history, and that is certainly before Ataturk!
It is law here that any group taken into an historical site has to have an official guide with them, perhaps sometimes this is not adhered to. What would be the point in going to a site and not understanding it?

[Jim Fraser]

Thats a good point from Peecee. I have also heard this mentioned a few times, and I think Lissa got hold of the wrong end of the stick thinking the guide did not know his history.

[Firo]

We have been told the same as Peecee quite a few times and it would explain the lax attitude to their fantastic history.

[mac2010]

I think this maybe true for this area  but having travel through out Turkey I can certainly say that they do look after there history.If you ever get the chance  go to istanbul or Cappadocia and see it first hand.Fethiye is years behind in many ways but hopefully they will realise before its to late.

[hubblebubble]

last month with a little time to kill I took my sister to the fethiye amphitheatre when a guide appeared - and boy was he knowledgeable, showed and explained lots of things i Had never seen before and also said they hoped to open the tunnel between there and the kings tomb area in which the lycians hid their families next year - given my initial reaction of 'oh bother' when he came over to us I can only say we had a great experience and he was worth every kurus of the tip i proffered.