HISTORICAL BEAUTIES
HABESSOS - ANTIPHELLOS - ANDIFLI - KAS Surrounded by high mountains in the north and small islands in the south, Kaş, known as Antiphellos in the Lycian period and Andifli in the Ottoman period, was home to different nations. Because of the geographic difficulties, it has not attracted much attention of the investors so far, the historical remains of the underground and above have survived to the present day mostly intact. Learning and wandering among the remnants of the intellectual, commercial and spiritual centers of the Lycian Union, many of which are known as UNESCO Cultural Heritage, dating back to 2500 BC is an invaluable experience.
XANTHOS: About 40 minutes by car (direction west)
Set in a beautiful location at Kınık, above Ethe capital of the Lycian Confederation. Many of the tombs and relics (including the marble top to the Harpy Tomb, which has since been replaced by a cement cast of the original) can now be viewed in the British Museum. Sir Charles Fellows carrying off the greater part of its moveable art works during his excavations of 1842. The Lycians were a fiercely independent race, believed to have been of Cretan origin. They settled and defended the wide peninsular between Antalya and Dalaman around 1400BC. They had their own language, inscriptions of which are still to be found and as yet, not fully understood. When the Persians besieged the city of Xanthos, in around 540BC, rather than surrender, the men burnt their families and belongings before fighting to their death. Only 80 families summering in the upper pastures survived. Again in 42BC Brutus laid siege to the city, there was a mass suicide only a 150 Xanthians surviving. What remains however is spectacular, most notably the mosaic floors and theatre.
TLOS: Just over an hour by car (direction west)
Tlos was one of the six principal cities of Lycia (and purportedly one of the most powerful). Although the city spread over a large area, it remains focused on the Acropolis and around. Set high on Akdag breathtaking views of the entire valley down to its capital on a clear day. As well as being the most ancient, it is referred to in Hittite records of the 14th century BC, Tlos was one of the most important settlements of the Lycian Empire and remained inhabited during the entire Byzantine era.
The home of the legendary winged horse, Pegasus, and later a 19th century brigand known as, “Bloody King Ali” who killed his own wayward daughter to save the family reputation. Tlos (pronounced Tilloss) is actually three ancient sites in one. Firstly the spectacular rock tombs set in the side of a high rocky promontory, secondly Roman remains, and thirdly an Ottoman Turkish fortress dominates the acropolis hill. Fine examples of sarcophagi, a theatre, a Roman stadium and baths, and a Byzantine church remain.
LETOON: 45 minutes by car (direction west)
The Letoon, the shrine of the goddess Leto, was the official religious sanctuary of the Lycian Federation, where national festivals were celebrated and the extensive ruins to be seen today, including three temples, dedicated to Artemis, Leto and Apollo, a nymphaeum and a well-preserved theatre, bear witness to its importance.
As legend would have it, the nymph Leto was loved and pregnant by Zeus. Jealousy pursued by his wife Hera, Leto was wandering about looking for a place to give birth to her divine twins, Apollo and Artemis. She is said to have approached a fountain to drink, been driven away by local herdsmen and subsequently led to the Xanthos River by wolves. She then named the lands Lycia, after the Greek work Lykos meaning wolf and after giving birth returned to turn the herdsmen to frogs for punishment, and it is their descendants that we hear today.
PATARA: Under 45 minutes by car (direction west)
Patara, an ancient Lycian harbor city, can be dated back to the 8th century B.C. It is said that the city was founded by Patarus, a son of Apollo. In ancient times, the Xanthus River flowed through Patara, where was the only entrance to the Xanthos valley. Thus Patara became a very important harbor city and flourished because of trade throughout history. Today it is also well known for its spectacular 18km white sand beach, the longest and widest in Turkey, and one which, unlike much of the Mediterranean, has a tide that allows body surfing. The beach is also a breeding ground for the loggerhead turtles (caretta caretta), and as a result the beach is protected. Behind the sand dunes is the vast archaeological site, an important Lycian city and also the birth place of St. Nicholas. Legend has it that this was the winter home of the sun god, Apollo, and had an oracle as famous as the one in Delphi. Today, the ruins are scattered over a huge area among the fields and dunes, many of them overgrown or hidden under the shifting sands that have drifted in and invaded much of the site.
ARYCANDA: About 90 minutes by car (direction northeast)
Arycanda is a unique Lycian city, built upon five large terraces ascending a mountain slope, and was known for having the most pleasure and entertainment-loving (and debt-ridden) citizens. It is widely acknowledged that the ancient city of Arycanda and the journey to it from Kaoffers some of the most breathtaking scenery to be found in Turkey. Heading into the mountainous hinterland and hamlets you can see traditional village life, the locals busy in the fields and an abundance of crops and flora. Arranged on terraces cut into steep south-facing hillside overlooking the pine forested valley between the Akdag and Arykanda’s remains are both extensive and impressive. Dating back to the 5th Century BC, they include; a large basilica with mosaic flooring undergoing restoration, a 10m high facade of the baths, temple tombs, an odeon, an outstanding theatre, a stadium curiously at the highest level and much more. Take the main road 32km due south to the seaside town of Finike, you can return via the spectacular coastal road at sunset.
MYRA and the Church of Saint Nicholas: 45 minutes by car to Demre (direction East).
The coast east of Ka (modern name Kale), 50kms from Kas greenhouses, between mountains and sea. One of the six most important cities of the Lycian Confederation, Myra, lies 2kms to the north. The way, well signposted, is via orchards of pungent citrus trees. The site is open from 8am and if you can get there before 10am the house-style rock tombs regarded as the finest in Lycia benefit from the morning sun. Surviving reliefs include; a funerary scene, battle and presentation scenes. The large Greco-Roman theatre, one of the most important of Lycia, was rebuilt after an earthquake that devastated the city in AD 141 and adapted for gladiatorial games. The second site known as the River Necropolis, 1500m inland contains several fine tombs including one, the Painted Tomb, whose decoration still retains traces of red and blue.
Church of Saint Nicholas
The Church of Saint Nicholas situated in the centre of Demre would be a shame to miss should you be in the vicinity. Saint Nicholas, latterly Santa Claus, was born at Patara in the AD 300 and became the Byzantine bishop of ancient Myra. Visitors to his tomb here told of wondrous events, bringing about his canonisation. Today’s church however, dates to the 7th century and the Saint’s supposed sarcophagus is not considered genuine, the original having been destroyed in 1087 by Italian merchants absconding with most of the bones it contained. The present museum, gardens and the quirky souvenirs available are a pleasant distraction. Tales abound of the kind deeds and indeed veritable miracles attributed to Saint Nicholas, the following of which will have a familiar tone;
The Tale of the Three Sisters: Near the Church of Saint Nicholas there lived a poor man who had three daughters. In order to be married , a dowry had to be offered and the man was unable to provide enough for even one of the girls. One cold winter night, the three sisters were discussing their predicament and the eldest suggested she sell herself as a slave in order to save the other two. The younger sisters protested and each offered herself instead. Upon hearing their argument Saint Nicholas secretly threw a bag of gold from the Church through the open window. It was December the 25th. By throwing a bag of gold through the same window one year later, the second daughter was able to marry. In the third year, the weather was particularly cold and as the window would be closed Saint Nicholas was obliged to climb onto the roof and throw the last bag of gold down the chimney. Whereupon, it fell into the youngest daughter’s stockings, hung up to dry over the stove.! Every year on the morning of 25th December, the poor families of Myra, discovered golden apples, snacks and toys, mysteriously arrived on their doorsteps. Saint Nicholas chose this way of helping the people so that he would not gain praise for himself but was discovered one year by the night-guard and acclaimed thereafter as Father Christmas.