Dalyan is a town in Muğla Province located between the well-known districts of Marmaris andFethiye on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town is an independent municipality, within the administrative district of Ortaca.
Dalyan achieved international fame in 1987 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 whenDavid Bellamy championed the cause of conservationists such as June Haimoff, Peter Günther, NergisYazgan, Lily Venizelos and Keith Corbett. The development project was temporarily stopped after Prince Philip called for a moratorium and in 1988 the beach and its hinterland were declared a protected area, viz. Köyceğiz-Dalyan Special Environmental Protection Area.
Life in Dalyan revolves around the DalyanÇayı 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
