Knidos & Knidos Archeological Site
Knidos that is located 90 km northwest of Orhaniye used to be a medical center during ancient times. That is no surprise, taking the rich flora of Datça Peninsula into consideration.
The reason Knidos has become such a legend is the statue “the Aphrodite of Knidos” that has several copies around the world. The original statue has never been found, but its base is in its place. This Aphrodite statue, which is the work of the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles of Athens, made in 4th century BC, is famous for being the first nude female body statue of the world.
Let us conclude this section with a nice story on Knidos: An epidemic of leprosy outbreaks in Greece in ancient times and many people become sick. In order to prevent further spreading of this disease, Greek officials collect leprosy patients and move them away from Greece in boats, leaving them in this region at the end of Datça peninsula. After quite a while, Greek officials return there to see what happened to the lepers they had left behind. They discover that all lepers recovered, started families and increased their population, and even established a town (Knidos) and start a new life there. Greek officials are astonished.
It is claimed that what made those lepers recover is the wonderful fresh air and clear sea of Datça, and its aura of health and happiness.
