Smells Like Nature
When you walk on the Lycian Coast, sometimes you stop and wonder—why the air smell so good? It’s the maquis.
What is that? Well, the maquis is low, green bushland growing almost everywhere here. It smells like laurel, thyme, sage, oregano. If you cook, or make tea, with these herbs, you know what I mean. But, there’s more about maquis than just good smells.
What is the Maquis, Really?
The maquis is like a temporary forest. Long time ago, most of the Lycian Coast was full of pine trees and some aromatic plants of the Med. But, fires happen a lot in summer. When the pines burn, the maquis grow fast in their place.
It’s not just filling space—it’s helping. The roots of these plants hold the soil, stop it from washing away (erosion). It refreshes the earth, make it ready for pine trees to come back. In some way, maquis is nature’s way to heal the land.
The Plants of the Maquis: A Scented List
Let me tell you about a few plants you meet when you walk in maquis. These are my favorites:
• Laurel (Defne)
If you cook with bay leaf, you know laurel. Here, in Lycia, it grow wild. Crush one of its leaves between fingers, and wow, the smell is amazing. I always tell my groups, “Try it!”—it’s like nature’s perfume.
• Wild Thyme (Kekik)
Small herb growing between rocks. It’s strong and smells fresh—like Mediterranean on a plate. I once asked a group, “What do you smell?” and one said, “Pizza!” Not wrong!
• Sage (Adaçayı)
Sage is used a lot here to make tea. Good for stomach and soul. Soft silver-green leaves easy to spot on hike.
• Oregano (Yabani Kekik)
Wild oregano growing all over hills. Stronger and wilder than the one you buy. It makes every step smell like a kitchen!
The Maquis: Working Hard for the Forest
What’s special about the maquis is, when fire destroys pine forests, maquis grow first. Its plants are tough—don’t need much water, can handle heat.
While they grow, they stop the soil from eroding. This is very important on steep hills and cliffs near sea. Over time, pines grow back, using the healthy soil maquis prepared. So, maquis is like nature’s helper, doing the hard work.
A Little Story from a Guide
One day, I guided a group through the hills. I asked them, “Close your eyes, breathe deep. What do you smell?” One person said, “Pizza!” Another, “Tea!”
They were right. Between laurel, thyme, and sage, the air smell like mix of kitchen and wild forest. We even found small pine tree growing in middle of bushes. I smiled—proof maquis is doing its job.
Take a Memory Home
If you go to village markets, you see bundles of laurel, sage, oregano for sale. Little pieces of maquis. But the real gift is not what you buy. It’s the memory of a hike, where air smells like thyme, laurel, and every step feel alive.
A Wild, Healing Land
Maquis may not look like much at first, but it’s strong, full of life. Protecting earth, stopping erosion, making land ready for pine forests to return.
So, next time you walk on Lycian Coast, breathe deep. Smell thyme, laurel, sage. That’s the maquis, doing its quiet work, filling air with true scent of Lycia.
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