The Eternal Flames of Chimaera
On a hillside on the Turkish coast, flames burn straight out of the rock, and have done for thousands of years.
What was reported
At Yanartaş, on a rocky hillside above the Mediterranean in southern Türkiye, dozens of small fires burn constantly from cracks in the ground. Ancient sailors used them as a landmark at night.
The ancient Greeks linked the place to the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster slain by the hero Bellerophon, and the site is still known as Chimaera.
Explanations offered
The flames are fed by natural gas, mostly methane, seeping from deep underground through the rock and igniting. Scientists have studied the site because the gas forms in an unusual way, without living matter. The fires have burned for at least 2,500 years.
- When
- Burning for thousands of years
- Where
- Yanartaş, near Olympos, Antalya, Türkiye
- Witnesses
- Ancient sailors and modern visitors
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.