Mount Chimaera – Mysterious Tourist Attractions in Antalya
Many people want to see Chimaera Mountain (Yanartaş) during their trip to Olympos. Chimaera mountain, called the unquenchable fire of Olympos, is located near the village of Cirali, which is connected to the Kemer district of Antalya.
Chimaera mountain , which is also the subject of Greek Mythology, is a natural gas source. Since it is located in the Olympos Beydaglari Mountains National Park at an altitude of 180 m from the sea, many people see Chimaera mountain while visiting the Olympos Ancient City. If you are interested in ancient cities or if you want to take an ancient city tour while going to see Chimaera mountain, you can take a look at our blog post about the Olympos Ancient City.
Legend of Mount Chimaera
The fire burning between the stones on the mountain is also known as the Chimera legend. According to Greek Mythology, Hipponoes, son of King Glaukos of Ephyra, kills his brother at a hunting party. After this event, he took the name Bellerophontes, which means the one who ate his brother, that is, Belleros. Exiled from Ephyra, Hipponoes took refuge in the King of Argos. The King of Argos sent him to the King of Lycia because he did not find it appropriate to kill Hipponoes, who took refuge in his kingdom, and did not like him.
Likewise, the Lycian King does not want to kill this young man who takes refuge in his power, so he has the body of a goat, the head of a lion, and the tail of a snake living on Mount Olympos. It is also said that the Chimera spews fire from its mouth. Bellerophontes goes to fight Chimera with his horse named Pegasus. And it buries the Chimera 7 floors below the ground.
According to this legend, the fire in the mountain is the fire of the Chimera coming out of the ground.
