Sedir

Kedreai is an island settlement on the east of Keramos Bay (modern day Ören). The island, known as Şehiroglu during the Turkish period, is known as Sedir Island in our day and time. Although the name of the island has its inspiration from cedar trees, we can no longer locate any on the island today. Kedreai, with a shoreline approximately 800 meters long, is accompanied by neighboring Orata Island and Küçük Ada.

The settlement is situated on the east side of the isthmus that divides the island into two. Surrounded by city walls, the theatre, sanctuary, residential area, harbor, and various other important public and religious structures are located in this area. The necropolis, harbor, and part of the other public structures are located on the mainland, which is to the eastern side of the island.

In ancient times, Bozburun peninsula and its surroundings were the property of Rhodes and they were called “Peraia” (the land across). The area that included Sedir Island was inside the Rhodian Peraea. The local people of the island were called “semi-barbarian” by Ksenophon, and they were of Karian origin. In the 3rd century BC, they spoke and wrote in Greek, worshipped the god Apollo, and organized athletic performances and competitions in the city, just as the Hellenes did. In the 5th century BC, Kedreai joined the Delian League paying a tax of half a talent. According to Ksenophon, Spartan commander Lysandros attacked the city which was then supporting Athens in the Peloponnesian War, and sold the people of Kedreai to slave traders. In the 2nd century BC, following the turbulent times during the war between Rome and its allies and the Seleucid Kingdom, Kedreai along with the majority of Karia fell under the reign of Rhodes. In 168-167 BC, the region was declared independent by Rome. From this date on until 133 BC, when the King of Pergamon, Attalos III, bequeathed the city to Rome, the fate of the city remained unknown for some time. However, in 129 BC, the city came under the rule of Rome and became the first Roman province established in Asia Minor, known as “Provincia Asia.”

Towards the end of the 11th century AD, the number of Turkish attacks increased for the Karia region which was then under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, and finally in the first quarter of the 15th century, Kedreai came under the full domination of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the remains that still stand today are from Eastern Roman times.

Orata Island and Küçük Ada

In the ancient Kedreai, city walls, public buildings, and residential areas were located on the mainland Sedir (Kedreai) island. However, residency did not limit itself to the island only. Orata Island and the nearby Küçük Ada were used for various purposes by the local people.

In Orata Island, sitting on the remains of what once could have been a shipyard, a chapel with an apseis can be located, embedded with good quality fine work, while on the east, a square-shaped public building can be found. These two are among the most important places which still stand today. The domed church on the east coast of the Orata Island, the sacred cold spring behind it, and other remains that are scattered around towards the inner side of the island on the west, clearly indicate that this island engaged in religious ceremonies from the beginning of ancient Classical times until the middle of Eastern Roman Period. Moreover, the sarcophagus that was located excavated in Küçük Ada proves that the island once functioned as a necropolis during the age of Romans.