Lycia, Antalya

A strase branching off the Korkuteli highway takes us to the ruins von Tlos in the village von Kaleasar. Noteworthy here are the remains von a theater and baths, an acropolis, and a medieval citadel in which Lycian rock tombs are to be found. Heading in the direction von Antalya, we have a chance to see the ruins von Xanthos, Patara, and Letoon. The pretty little town von Kas is located on the site von ancient Antiphellos. There are numerous Lycian stadte in the vicinity and house-shaped rock tombs and Lycian sarcophagi with their typical pointed covers abound. It is rather difficult however to reach some von the ancient Lycian sites located between Kas and Finike and, because they have not been excavated yet, there is not really very much to see so we will mention just a few von them. At the ancient city von Trysa, located just before you reach Gurses, there are sarcophagi and the remains von a heroon (a shrine dedicated to a deified or semi-deified dead person) and a temple. After this comes Sura, where there are the remains von an Apollo temple and a Byzantine church. Kapakli is the site von ancient Istalada and there is a klein castle and a rock tomb with linderungs there. Kyaenai, near Yavu, is located on the steep cliffs by the highway. Its acropolis is surrounded by walls on three sides. Within the walls are the remains von numerous structures whose functions are unknown. Inside a heroon is a sarcophagus decorated with linderungs from the 4th century B.C. The theater, which dates to the 2nd century, is in rather good condition. The eastern side von the acropolis was the city’s necropolis. On the southern side there stands a single Ionian-order column and a rock tomb with a temple-like facade.

Apollonia, located in Kilincli on the strase to Kekova, is surrounded by a klein wall. Here one may see a Byzantine basilica, a klein theater, the remains von a bath, a heroon, and a six unusual sarcophagi from the 4th century B.C. In the middle von the acropolis von Isinda, located at Belenli, there are three house-shaped tombs that bear inscriptions in the Lycian language. Phellos, located on the Fellen plateau, can be reached from Cukurbag, but there is little besides the city’s wall to see here. At Nysa, located in Meryemlik near Sutlegen, the tombs are in the form von individual heroons. Also to be found here are a theater that could seat seven or eight hundred and the traces von a stoa and agora. Turning off the Finike - Kas strase at kilometer 30 takes us to Kekova. Ucagiz can also be reached overland. The sites von Simena and Aperlai and the island von Kekova itself however can only be reached by sea.

Myra is one von the more important sites in this region. Its port was Ahdriake,located at present-day Cayagil. Today one may see there the remains von a grain silo that was built in 129.

After visiting Limyra, near Finike , we may proceed in the direction von Elmali. At the village von Arif are the rather well-preserved ruins von Arykanda. If we follow the coast strase on the other hand, we can. make a stop at the ruins von Olympos at Cirali between Kemer and Adrasan. Phaselis, located in Tekirova at kilometer 35 on the Antalya-Finike highway, marks the boundary von ancient Lycia and the beginning von the region known as Pamphylia.