The
ancient Lycian
city is located near the village of Kınık
on a hillside in a gorgious natural site overlooking
the Eşen river. Xanthos long remained independent
until it was taken by the Persians:
according to Herodotus,
the warriors of Xanthos showed an extreme
bravery killing their wives, children and
slaves entrenched in the burning citadel.
They themselves fought to death . Only a few
families that were away, survived. The city
was completly burnt down between 475 and 450
BC. During excavations this was confirmed
by a thick layer of ash covering the site.
Rebuilt and repopulated, Xanthos, along with
Pınara, Patara and other cities, surrendered
to Alexander
the Great. The city, which came to the
hands of Antigonus,
was claimed by Ptolemy
I who took it from him by force in 309
BC.
In 197 BC, Antiochus
III , who wanted to take Lycia from the Ptolemies,
made an agreement with the Xanthians, declaring the
city free and dedicating it to Leto, Apollo and Artemis.
After Antiochus’ defeat at Magnesia
of Sypile, and because of their support to her,
Rome gave Xanthos to the Rhodians. Complaining that
they were treated like slaves, the Xanthians revolted
many times so that Rome finally put an end to the
Rhodien domination in 167 BC. During the Roman civil
wars of the 1st century BC, the Lycians sided with
Caesar against
Pompeius. But Caesar was assassinated in Rome by Brutus
and Cassius who came to Asia Minor to collect money
and recruit soldiers. As the Lycians were reluctant
to make any contributions, Brutus attacked Xanthos
where the Lycian League’
s soldiers were gathered. He demolished the Acropolis
and slaughtered the inhabitants. For the second time
in their history, in the year 42 BC, the Xanthians
underwent mass suicide for their freedom. Marc Antony,
hoping to heal the scars left by Brutus, rebuilt their
city. In Byzantines times, the city walls were renovated
and a monastery was added. The city was deserted,
ruined by Arab raids in the 8th century.
Xanthos was discovered in 1838 by Sir Charles Fellows
who had all the reliefs and finds of any significance
transported to London, on a warship that anchored
in Patara.
The Hellenistic walls
and gates of the city, the Lycian buildings and
monuments, the necropolis with typical Lycian tombs
and sarcophagi, the funerary pillars, the Roman
theatre, the agora,
the Byzantine church with mosaics, the Byzantine
monastery,....are among the main vestiges of the
archaeological site.
The Monument of the Harpies: this
sarcophagus, which dates back to 480 - 470 BC, consists
of a huge piece of hewn rock 8.87 m / 29 ft high
and a small burial chamber decorated on all four
sides by reliefs, and closed by a stone lid. The
monument’s reliefs seen today are plaster copies.
The originals, as well as sculpted sarcophagi and
the Nereids Monument (a temple with 12 Nereid statues
between the columns) were taken by Charles Fellows
to the British Museum in 1842.
Details
of a funerary pilar: Harpies and Sphinxes
(around 480 BC)
Dating
to 425 – 400 BC, the inscriptions
on the stone block are the longest
known in Lycian language
Mosaic
floor of the Byzantine church
LETÔON
Located 4 km
/ 2,5miles away from Xanthos, Letôon was the
religious center of the
Lycian League where three temples,
placed side by side, were erected. The first
of these, constructed at the end of the 5 C
BC in Ionic order,
was dedicated to Leto, the
mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis. The
second temple was dedicated to Artemis
whose cult is considered a continuation of the
Cybele cult under a new name (her mother Leto
merged with Anatolian mother-goddess Cybele).
The third temple, constructed in Doric
order, was dedicated to Apollo.
To the south and west of the main temple is
a large nympheaum connected
to the sacred spring. A rectangular building,
dating from the time of Hadrian (117 – 130 AD),
is bordered by a large semicircular paved pool
flanked on the north by two semicircular exedrae.
Most of it is now permanently flooded. Part
of the nympheaum was later overlaid by a church.
There is also a stoa
and a Hellenistic theatre.
Fragments of architecture from the temples and
the nympheaum, as well as a trilingual
stele bearing inscriptions in Greek,
Lycian and Aramaic are displayed in the Fethiye
museum. This inscription dates back to 358 BC
and refers to a decree made by Pixodares, the
satrap of Caria
and Lycia.
This site illustrates the union of Lycian traditions
and Hellenic influence, especially in the representation
of funarary art. The epigraphic inscriptions
are crucial in the understanding of the Indo-European
language and the history of the Lycian people.
Both Xanthos and Letôon have been declared by
UNESCO to be one of the Eminent
Heritage of the World.
PATARA
Patara is one of the oldest and most important
ancient cities of Lycia,
as it was already known by the Hittites
as Patar. Patara was the birthplace of Apollo
: her mother Leto, fleeing from the island of
Delos and Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, the
father of the twins Artemis and Apollo, said
that in fact she would have given birth in Patara.
The city was famous for the Oracle of Apollo
only kept open in winter (in summer the oracle
was held in Delos). Patara was the main Lycian
port (today a swamp) and it was saved from destruction
by opening its gates to Alexander
the Great . During the Hellenistic period,
it was a naval base used in turn by Antigonus
in 315 BC, the Ptolemies
(under their rule and for a short while Patara
was renamed Arsinoe after Ptolemaios II’s wife),
and Antiochus
III in 190 BC. The saying “Caput Gentis”
or “the Ancestor’s Capital” uttered by Roman
admiral Livius to describe Patara, shows that
it outshoned all the other cities. Patara had
a three – vote right in the Lycian
League. It became the juridical seat of
the Roman governors who turned it into a port
from where the Roman fleet maintained contacts
with the eastern provinces. Also crops were
stored here and kept for shipment to Rome. During
this period, Patara became the capital of both
Lycian and Pamphylian provinces. From here,
St Paul
sailed for Phoenicia. Patara, where St
Nicholas was born, became a Christian
center. About this period, the harbor of Patara
was totally silted up and the city progressively
lost its importance. Since then the place has
been gradually covered with sand dunes. Turkish
prof. Fahri Işık and his team from Akdeniz University
have been trying to dig the city out from under
the sand.
Among the most significant vestiges there are: The Necropolis with Lycian
sarcophagi and Roman tombs. The Harbor Church whose remains
emerge from the water. The Arch of Triumph, or monumental
gate which was the entrance to the city, was
built in 100 AD by Roman governor Mettius Modestus.
At the same time this arch was used as a part
of the aqueduct that brought water to Patara. The Roman Date Baths, whose
name was due to the date trees nearby, had a
floor decorated with mosaics. The Road Sign, showing the
distances between the Lycian cities, was ordered
by Emperor Claudius. It is the world’ s oldest
and most comprehensive road sign. The Vespasian Baths are located
behind a church and next to the Tomb of Marcianus. The Main Avenue, 12.5 m / 41
ft wide, was the widest avenue in Anatolian
ancient cities. Today it is partly flooded.
The Central Baths are located
at the eastern end of the avenue. The Walls of the Byzantine Fortress
and a Corinthian Temple outside. The Theatre, built in 147 AD,
still shows traces of sand under which it was
half buried. The Ecclesterium was Anatolia
largest administration building. The Cistern, located at the
top of the hill behind the theatre, has been
carved into the rock. Nearby is a part of the
walls of the harbor lighthouse. Hadrian’ s Granery (granarium)
can be seen in a swamp next to the harbour. The Temple Tomb and other monument
tombs of various size.
A large bust of Apollo, discovered on the hill
beyond the City Gate, indicates the existence
of an Apollo Temple which has not been yet localized.
Patara, which is an ideal place to spend a vacation
away from the crowd, has a superb fine sand
beach stretching on 22 kms / 14 miles which
allows the practice of sports such as surfing
on sand.
KALKAN
Kalkan is a small, lovely port and a peaceful place
of holiday. Once called “Kalamaki” , it was given
the Turkish name Kalkan after the Greeks had left
following the exchange
of population of 1925. The white-washed houses,
overlooking the large bay, have typical roof terraces,
and the narrow streets wind down to the sea. There
are numerous pensions, small traditional hotels
as well as larger modern ones, and good restaurants.
Like Kaş, Kalkan has become a favorite stopover
for the blue voyagers.
Diving is popular around Kalkan.
There are a few caves in the surroundings, but Kapıtaş
Cave, located 6 km / 3.7 miles from Kalkan,
near the beautiful sandy beach of Kapıtaş,
is the largest and has incredible hues of green
and blue. It is possible to take a ride inside with
a small motorboat.
The Bezirgan plateau, located just above Kalkan,
is a good place for trekking. The ruins of the ancient
city of Pirha can be seen in the hills above the
village of Bezirgan.
KAŞ
Kaş is a charming small port with white-washed
houses. The town was established over the ancient
Lycian city
of Antiphellos which was the
harbor for Phellos located
above it. During the Hellenistic
period, while Antiphellos grew rich on account
of the ceddar and sponge trade, Phellos lost
its importance.
Of this period, to the west of the modern town
and overlooking the sea, stands the Hellenistic
Theater which
had a seating capacity of 4,000 spectators.
Above the theatre is a house-type rock tomb,
unique of its kind, known as the Doric
Tomb. Of the few preserved sarcophagi,
is the elegant one called by the local people
“King’s Sarcophagus” . It has
a long inscription in the Lycian language which
has not been deciphered yet, like the one on
the Xanthos
monolith. This sarcophagus stands at the upper
end of Uzun Carşı Street which is lined by traditional
Turkish architecture houses, carpet and souvenir
shops.
From Kaş, stretching out into the sea, is the
narrow Çukurbağ peninsula with
a beautiful nature and modern hotels. One can
enjoy the nearest beaches of Kaş (Büyük Çakıl,
Küçük Çakıl, Akçagerme), but in addition shuttle-boats
take the tourists to the beautiful Çayağzı
beach. Opposite Kaş is the Greek Island
of Meyisti. Diving is popular around Kaş.
Kaş is a favorite stopover for the blue voyagers,
but it is also a very nice place to spent a
great holiday. Kaş offers most lively night
life with the numerous terraced bars and restaurants.
Kaş is a favorite stopover for the blue
voyagers, but it is also a very nice place
to spent a great holiday. Kaş offers most lively
night life with the numerous terraced bars and
restaurants.
Although there is not much left of Phellos
(remains of the city wall, sarcophagi and rock
cut Lycian tombs, a free standing house - type
tomb), it is worth seeing the beauty of its
surrounding landscapes. The site can be reached
either by foot (12 km / 7.5 miles trek) or by
car towards Çukurbağ – Pınarbaşı.
Between Kaş and Kekova, there are a number of
ancient minor inland cities such as Isinda,
near the village of Belenli, Aperlae
and Apollonia, near the village
of Kılıçlı.
Hinterland in Gömbe, located
70 km / 43 miles from Kaş at the bottom of the
Akdağ Mountains, sporting activities like trekking,
mountain climbing and rafting can be done around
Yeşil Lake and Uçansu Waterfalls. Also, the
ancient cities of Komba in Gömbe and Nisa in
Meryemlik can be encountered.
KEKOVA
Located on the Turquoise
Coast, Kekova is the most scenic area in
Lycia. Kekova
is a set of picturesque islands, bays and small
ancient cities that the blue
voyagers love to explore. For those enjoying
a holiday on shore, it is recommended (when not
staying in one of the nice pensions of Kaleköy)
to visit Kekova by excursion boat or rented small
motorboat from Kaş or from Demre
(Myra). This way is easier and more enjoyable than
driving along the winding road which ends in Üçağız
where one still has to rent a motorboat .
Kekova, which
is an incredible place of beauty where nature mingles
with the past and the present, consists of:
The
village of Üçağız and its harbour where
the ruins of ancient 4 C BC Theimussa
can be encountered. The majority of the sarcophagi
and rock-cut tombs of the necropolis date back to
the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The
village of Kaleköy where the Lycian and
Roman vestiges of the 4 C BC ancient sunken city
of Simena are located. In addition
to a surprising Lycian sarcophagus emerging from
the sea and which has become the symbol of Kaleköy,
on the shore ruins of Roman baths, rock tombs and
sarcophagi, a citadel with a small rock-cut theatre
inside (the smallest theatre in Lycia with a seating
capacity of about 300 people) and cisterns can be
seen.
Kekova
Island has given its name to the surroundings.
The place is also called the “Sunken City”
as most of the ancient buildings sank in the sea
as a result of various earthquakes. Along the shore
one can see the foundations of submerged buildings
and houses as well as staircases descending under
the water. Tersane Bay , where
yachts and boats may anchor, was a shipyard. Very
near is a Byzantine church whose apse is still visible
today.
In the Kekova
area there are many ancient cities located very
close to each other: Aperlae and
Istlada along the coast, Apollonia
in Kılıçlı, Tyberissos in Çevreli.
As these cities were very small, some of them, such
as Simena, Apollonia,
Aperlae and Isinda,
or Theimussa, Cyaenai
and Myra merged
to be represented as one entity in the
Lycian League.
