Flames Go Out at Certain Points in Yanartaş, Antalya's Çıralı

It has been observed that flames have gone out at certain points in Yanartaş, located in Antalya's Çıralı region, while burning continues in other rock fissures.

Recent observations at Yanartaş, located within the borders of Beydağları Coastal National Park in Antalya's Çıralı region, have revealed that there are no flames at some points where fire used to emerge. Burning continues in other rock fissures. There is no official finding yet regarding why the fire went out and whether this situation is temporary.

Flames rising from different points of the rocky surface continue to attract the interest of local and foreign visitors. Tourist groups hiking the Lycian Way also stop by the area under the responsibility of Nature Conservation and National Parks. Visitors take breaks and take photos around the fire, examine historical ruins, and some roast mushrooms over the fire. It is observed that the groups in the area, where visitor activity is intense, consist predominantly of foreign tourists.

Prof. Dr. Fuzuli Yağmurlu from the Faculty of Engineering at Süleyman Demirel University, who has conducted studies in the region in the past, stated in his 2017 statement that the fire originated from natural gas leakage. Stating that the gas might have been ignited by lightning or human influence in ancient times, Yağmurlu noted that this fire indicates the presence of a very significant natural gas leakage in the region. While the origin of the gas feeding Yanartaş has also been the subject of international scientific research, a study by Giuseppe Etiope and Artur Ionescu demonstrated through experiments that methane can form at low temperatures and without a biological source through the catalytic effect of the element ruthenium.

The fire of Yanartaş is also associated with the mythical monster called Chimera. According to the legend conveyed on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Culture Portal, the Chimera, which has a lion's head, a goat's body, and a snake's tail, spews fire from its mouth and was buried deep in the earth by Bellerophontes. It is believed that the monster continues to spew flames and that the fire at Yanartaş is these flames. It is also stated that the races held in Olympos to celebrate Bellerophontes' victory were Olympos races where athletes lit their torches with the fire of Yanartaş, and this situation is described as the first example of the Olympic Games in Anatolia.