Dalyan is a town in Mugla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris and Fethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town depends the district of Ortaca administratively.

Dalyan achieved international fame in 1986 when developers wanted to build a luxury hotel on the nearby İztuzu Beach , a breeding ground for the endangered loggerhead sea turtle species. The incident created major international storm when David Bellamy championed the cause of the conservationists. The development project was stopped and the beach is now a protected area.

Life in Dalyan revolves around the Dalyan Çayı River which flows past the town. The boats that ply up and down the river, navigating the maze of reeds, are the preferred means of transport to all the local sites.

Etymology

Dalyan means "fishing weir" in Turkish. Bass and mullet and Sea Bream swim upstream from the sea to Köyceğiz Lake where another large town of the region, Köyceğiz, is located. The fish spawn there, and when returning to the sea they are caught in the "dalyans".

Economy

Dalyan means "fishing weir" in Turkish. Bass and mullet and Sea Bream swim upstream from the sea to Köyceğiz Lake where another large town of the region, Köyceğiz, is located. The fish spawn there, and when returning to the sea they are caught in the "dalyans".

Tourism

Above the river's sheer cliffs are the weathered facades of Lycian tombs cut from rock, circa 400 AC. The ruins of the ancient trading city of Kaunos are a short boat trip across the river.

The south of Dalyan on the Mediterranean coast, lies İztuzu Beach, near the village of the same name is a popular area for sunbathing and swimming. There are regular boat and minibus (dolmuş) services to the beach. Visitors should be aware of the wooden stakes in the beach to mark nesting sites. The road route is particularly scenic, offering views of Sülüngür Lake. Iztuzu, Dalyan's turtle beach, was voted the best beach in the world in 1995.

Conservation

The beach is well known for the Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead Sea Turtles) which have existed for 95 million years. International animal protection organizations monitor and protect the turtles' nesting grounds in Turkey.The beach is closed during the period of time that the Turtles lay thair young. On the other side of the beach, lesser known and lesser protected turltes which are illegally fed and coaxed into the river, which has a small salt content (dalyan), and therefore these turtles has to adapt. Fortunately few turlte deaths have ever occcured.

Iztuzu Beach

Iztuzu Beach is a long beach near Dalyan, in the Ortaca district of Mugla Province in southwestern Turkey. It is world famous as one of the rare breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and is often called "Turtle Beach".

The greatest threat to the survival of the loggerhead sea turtle is on these sandy beaches where its life begins. This has triggered an international conservation effort that began in the 1990s. The effort to protect loggerhead sea turtle eggs and to assure a safe breeding ground for this endangered species has made international headlines. This issue is one of the most critical items on Turkey's environmental agenda.

The two other breeding grounds for the turtles are also in Turkey, in Adana districts of Karatas and Yumurtalik.