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History Between Fethiye and Kalkan

History between Fethiye-Kalkan

To the east of Fethiye and around the road of Fethiye-Kalkan there are important ancient cities. You really should see these Lycian cities.

Let us begin with a visit to Cadianda on the western side of Fethiye. Later there we will come to Letoon, Pınara, Sidyma, Arsada and ending with Xanthos and Patara. You cannot do it all in one day. If you were to give them one day each choose to see Pınara, Letoon, Xanthos and Patara.

Cadianda

20 kilometres from Fethiye to the west, near the Üzümlü district there is the ancient city of Candianda, known as Cadavandi in the Lycian language. The history of the city goes back as far as the 5th century BC, while it was a very lively and rich settlement under the Romans.

The city is 600 metres above the sea level and is surrounded by a wall that is made of fine stone. To the south of the entrance there are four Lycian tombs, believed to be from the 4th century BC. Three of the tombs are in the style of a house but are somewhat damaged. The fourth tomb is cut into a block of stone and has a relief of a man lying on a sofa on its south face and a mounted figure attacking an enemy with his spear and shield on the north side. At the northern entrance of the acropolis there are the ruins of what are believed to a part of a Doric style temple and also the remains of a stone carved bath from the Roman period, believed to have been built by the Emperor Vespasianus. On the hill where the city is located, tucked into the slope, is a small theatre. The western part of the seating area is still firm though where the stage was has been completely demolished.

In the centre of the city the ruins that cover an area of nine metres in width and 900 metres in length are believed to be those of the stadium. Moreover, there are lots of references made to athleticism tournaments held in the city of Cadianda. In addition, plinths of statues of successful athletes around the supposed stadium area strengthen the theory.

Letoon 

On the Fethiye-Kalkan road, two kilometres before you come to Kınık, there is the signpost for the ancient city of Letoon. It is also 19 kilometres before Kalkan. Letoon is four kilometres further once you take the turn onto the road in the middle of the greenhouses. You can go to the entrance of the historical site by car. The traces of the settlement in the ancient city of Letoon have been dated to the 7th century BC. The ruins and the finds show that this was a political and religious site. Letoon was the joint temple of the Lycian Union.

There is a legend recalled by the poet Ovidius, which tells that the Goddess Leto, who was pregnant with twin gods Apollon and Artemis to the God Zeus gave birth to them in Delos. Then she went to the Xanthos River (now the Eşen Stream) and walked all the way to the mouth of the river. The Goddess wanted to wash her children in the mouth of the river but was prevented from doing so by the locals. She got furious at this and, by way of revenge, turned all the locals into frogs. This is why the temple of Leto is sited where the incident is supposed to have taken place.

The other two temples in the ancient city were built for Artemis and Apollon. However, today only the bases of all three temples remain. They are lying under the water that keeps seeping up and never seem to disappear. On the top of the columns of the temples frogs and the turtles lie sunbathing. Could they not be the descendants of the people the Goddess Leto turned into frogs?

The Lycian city of Letoon was abandoned after the 7th century once it has                                  lost its importance.

To the south west of the temples there is a fountain and to the east a Byzantine church. To the north of the archaeological site is a stoa and at the backside of the city, partly leaning against the natural hill, is a Roman theatre, which is in good condition.

Do not leave the site if you have the time go to the seaside. Just as in the case of Patara, Letoon suffers from sand-dune problems and, in order to prevent sand getting to the greenhouse areas, the two kilometres deep and eight kilometres long beach of Letoon has been planted with sand acacia and mimosa trees. The tree planting in the area began in the 1960s. Go through the trees and continue on the sand road that takes you to the sea. Letoon is a part of the 18 kilometres long Patara Beach. It has the same characteristics of Patara Beach. However, around it there is not one restaurant, café or pension. Be ready for this if you are going there for a picnic.

Pınara

After going 45 kilometres on the Fethiye-Eşen road, you turn right, leading you to the village of Minare (Minaret). The people of Minare, as well as pointing out the dusty path leading to the archaeological site of Pınara can also take you up to the ancient city by tractor.

Pınara, which meant "round" in the Lycian language, in some inscription is written as Pinale. The city was one of the important ones of the Lycian Union and had the right to three votes alongside the other major cities of Xanthos, Tlos, Patara, Myra and Olympus.

The city was renowned for its relations under the satrap Piksodaros and gets a mention in campaign of Alexander the Great in 334-333 BC. The high rock area in the western part must have been the first settlement. In the Roman era the village moved down to lower ground and was situated between the rocks and the hill sloping down. The theatre was built out of town to the north east of the settlement.

Visiting the city

After you leave your car in the parking area, a tour of city can easily be carried out as follows. To the south west of the security booth, facing the south of the Çınarlı Stream bed are numerous Lycian type tombs. The largest and the most important of all is the one that depicts a city in the relief. This must have been the tomb of a king and in the details of the tomb there is the Hellenistic element of making use of sculpture mixed with the reliefs as well. The most impressive of these is the Gorgons on the reinforcing beams of the eaves. Once you pass under the roof of the structure on the both sides you see views of cities. These show the Lycian cities, the walls, the columned tombs, house tombs, in the background marked by surrounding walls of the palace sitting on high grounds, and houses and figures in empty spaces.

The path to the site known as the King Tombs allows gorgeous views. From the street you see buildings on the left and right and go through pine trees and column erected heading to a paved courtyard. This structure, although you cannot see it from the site as the stones are pilled up one atop the other, has heart shaped columns at the corners. A stone relief of a phallic symbol was found here, giving rise to the belief that the structure may have been dedicated to Aphrodite.

The tomb to the north of the lower village has a picture of a bull’s horns and is seen as being a unique work.

The theatre and the odeon, just out of the city have survived almost intact. However, the heavy vegetation in the area might make the trip to those sites a bit difficult. 

The tombs located on the high hills to the west are known as the "doves’ nest". These are believed to be the oldest of the Lycian tombs, without the knowledge about the working method of the workers of how they have built these up to the rocky slopes.

After Eşen on the Fethiye-Kaş road you take the asphalted road to Bozoluk and get to Letoon. The ancient city of Letoon in fact is a religious site, four kilometres as the crow flies to the ancient city of Xanthos. The Temple of Leto, commemorated to the mother of Artemis and Apollon, was an important religious centre for Lycia. Leto was an Anatolian mother goddess that was Hellenised, with the existing temple being dated to around 300 BC. All of the details of the Ionic style of the temple have remained intact. The small 4th century BC temple to the east of the one dedicated to mother Leto is plainer than the other two and not surrounded by columns. The Hellenistic temple to the east is surrounded with columns and is in the Doric style. The mosaic depicting Artemis with a bow and an arrow and Apollon with his lyre shows the twins of the Goddess Leto. The inscription in the Aramaic, Hellenic and Lycian languages, as well as listing the historical events in the region, also contributed to scholars to decipher the local language. The original inscription is in the Fethiye Museum and the name of Hekatomnos’ son Piksodaros can be read.

In the Roman period the temples of Letoon formed a complete entity, with a circular fountain monument built to the west of the temples. In addition, a nice perspective was achieved with the stoa that was built to the north in the Hellenistic era and was developed in the Roman period.

It is known that many festivals were staged in Letoon’s theatre, which was carved into the slopes of a hill. The architecture of the vaulted passages that were used to get to the seating area of the theatre is worth seeing. The fact that the theatre did not have a stage can be linked to the fact that sport activities were conducted on the flat area in front of the spectator galleries. As soon as you leave the eastern side of the theatre you see a Lycian tomb with a saddle roof. On the side of the tomb there is a horizontal figure that combined the local artistic styles of the Roman period.

The local-transport:

To get to what was the ancient capital city of the Lycian region, you take the turn to the left from Kınık off the Fethiye-Kaş road and keep going for one kilometre, bringing you to the ancient city of Pınara.

Sidyma

Sidyma is near the village of Dodurga, 500 metres above the sea level on the side of the Cragus Mountain. It is not easy to get to. Six kilometres to the south of Eşen on the Fethiye-Xanthos road there is a turn. Take the road and keep going for another six kilometres. After that you have to climb up a steep stabilized path, taking up to an hour. Sidyma gets its name as a result of its history, an evolution from the similar names of other ancient cities as Idyma, Didyma and Loryma. The finds from the site show that the first settlement in this area was in the Early Archaic period. The first written inscriptions found in the area were dated to the 1st century BC.     The majority of the remains and all the inscriptions found here come from the Roman period. However, it is thought that a coin believed to be from Sidyma was minted in the 2nd century BC. When you visit Sidyma, you see the first signs of the old city on the path up, these being many tombs carved into the left rock face of the ravines. Although these have a resemblance to the ones in Pınara they are of a more simple design and fewer in number.

Once you are up the top the remains of the ancient city of Sidyma lie spread out before your eyes. Right at the end of the path to the left there is the remains of a small monumental tomb. Though only the basis of the tomb survives, there being no burial chamber, it is still significant as it shows that Sidyma existed in the Classical era. Right next to it there are seven more monumental tombs. Some of these, instead of being in the Lycian style, are topped with three cornered stone lids.

Arsada

The ancient city of Arsada is behind the Xanthos Valley and fairly high up, on a hill that was formerly called Mount Massicytus and now known as Akdağ. The city is on a high plateau on the side of the mountain. It is about 900 metres above the sea level and there are no roads leading to it. It is near the village of Arsa, which can be reached from a steep and long path from the village of Kayadibi.

Just to the west of the village is a long low hill. On the eastern side of the hill, where it slopes at a right angel into the valley, there is a wall built of 2.5 metres thick stones. Some 300 metres of the wall is fairly stable. On the northern edge of the wall there is a nine metre square structure that was either a tower or a small castle. This castle, believed to be from the Hellenistic period, is made of carefully placed polygonal stone blocks.

There are not much left from the city itself but there are many Lycian type tombs in and around it. Most are in the Gothic raised style but unfortunately these have been destroyed. There is at least one house type tomb and many stones that were carved have inscriptions on them. A bit above the village there is the path leading north and next to it there us a 2.5 metres high rock that has a relief of a man mounted on horse.

Xanthos

Seventeen kilometres along the Kalkan-Fethiye road there is a road that leads through Kınık following the bank of the Eşen Stream, leading to the ancient city of Xanthos. It is believed the history of Xanthos, the capital of Lycian Union, goes as far back as 1,200 BC. It was written that in those times the Lycians fought in the Trojan War, under the command of an officer from Xanthos. It is said that the people of Xanthos were courageous and great warriors.

The historian Herodotus, in reference to war in 545 BC against the invading Persians, wrote, " When the Persian army came onto the Xanthos plain under the rule of their commander, although they were very few in numbers against the unending large numbers of the Persians, the people of Xanthos kept fighting. They gained a reputation for their heroism but they have lost the war against them. They placed all the women, children, treasures and slaves into the castle. Then they set it on fire. Such was the fire that has destroyed everything. It was after that they took a binding oath and began fighting the enemy. All died in the fighting."

Although Xanthos was frequently destroyed by fires or wars every time it was rebuilt. The city was destroyed completely in the Roman era by Brutus and but was reconstructed by another Roman commander, Marc Antonius. In the Byzantine era Xanthos was a centre of a bishopric, though it was finally abandoned after a series of Arab attacks.

If you go to Xanthos through Kınık the first remains you encounter is a part of the Hellenistic gate on your right. To the left of the road there is an arch dedicated to the Roman emperor Vespasian, a gift in thanks for his great contributions to the city. The ruins you will see a bit further up on your right are what is left of the magnificent Nereids Monument, the most impressive pieces of which were taken to England by ship in 1841-1842. Today these pieces have been restored and the monument is on display in the 7th hall of the British Museum.

If you head to the left towards the acropolis past the walls you come to the theatre. After this you will see the Lycian tombs that have become the symbol of Xanthos and the Harpies Monument above the tombs.

Since the statues of the monument were taken to England, what you see today are plaster copies of the originals. The original Harpies Monument is also on exhibit in the British Museum.

At the Lycian acropolis there are also the remains of the agora and a Byzantine basilica. Once you get to the acropolis take in the view. The hill that overlooks the plain is the site of the ruins of the ancient Lycian palace.

On the right of the road in Xanthos and opposite the acropolis there is a Roman acropolis, where you can see a Byzantine basilica, rock tombs, the Pillar Monument and the ruins of a tomb with lion reliefs.

Xanthos Inscription:

One of the inscriptions from a tablet unearthed at Xanthos was translated by Azra Arat. This symbolises how the Xanthos people devoted themselves to their independence and their endless fight against invaders and looters.

"We have made our homes graves;
Our homes graves
Our homes were destroyed
Our graves looted
We climbed to the peak of the mountains
We entered under the ground
We were stuck under the water
They came and found us
They burned down, destroyed
We that for our mothers,
Our women,
And the sake of our dead people
And the sake of our honour
Our freedom
Have chosen mass deaths instead
We the people of this land
We have left a fire behind
It always burns
And will never die

Patara

On the Fethiye-Kalkan road, just ten kilometres before Kalkan, you take the turn for Patara-Gelemiş, driving for another six kilometres to get to the ancient city of Patara, with the Patara beach another kilometre further along.

The ancient city is four kilometres from the entrance of the village of Gelemiş. However, the ruins of Patara begin long before you get to the village. Among the ruins, which are believed to be from the necropolis, there are Lycian type tombs and Roman tomb monuments. Gelemiş is now a popular tourism village. The villagers, who used to be interested in agriculture, are now mostly running pensions, restaurants and shops that sell souvenirs and so forth.

Patara was one of the six cities of the Lycian Union, possibly one of the most important of them, and had the right to three votes. In history books it is written that most of the meetings of the Lycian Union were held in Patara.

The ancient city was called Pttara in the Lycian language and was known to exist in the 5th century BC. It was among the cities that Alexander the Great laid siege to.

According to the legend, the city of Patara was founded by the water nymph Lycia and the God Apollon’s son Patarus. Under Roman rule Patara was also one of the region’s most significant cities. The port of Patara played a major role in the storing and transporting of wheat. The city continued to develop in the Byzantine era and became an important centre for Christianity. It is also believed that Saint Nicholas, modernised as Santa Claus or Father Christmas, was born in Patara.

With the silting up of the port, boats had difficulty in entering and Patara lost its importance. The sand that was shifted by the winds not only affected the port but also covered the city. Some of the ruins still peak out from the sand as you pass.

Two kilometres after Gelemiş you will come across the most impressive of the remains of the city, a Roman triumphal arch, built at the end of the 1st century AD. Among the other ruins you will see towards the hill are the baths, a Byzantine basilica and a Corinthian style temple. The theatre is on the side of the hill and most of it is covered by sand. On the hill top there is a Temple of Athena. The former port is now a wet land.

In order to prevent the sand shifting inland from Patara Beach barriers have been set up. Patara Beach is the longest and most impressive of the beaches in the area. It is 18 kilometres long and up to 300 metres wide. It has fine white sand, the sea is shallow for a long way out and the wind almost never stops, making it great for windsurfing.

Patara Beach has been listed as a natural protected area since sea turtles lay their eggs here.

There are two restaurants at the entrance area where the parking lot is located. As the sun burns down here and there is no shade around, do not forget to rent an umbrella at the entrance before laying on the beach.

Horse riding on the Patara Beach. The Patara Sultan Farm Horse Riding Farm opened up last summer. The farm has seven horses and carries out riding treks on the beach. İlhan Çırpan, the owner of the farm, can organise a two or three hours tour with or without lunch according to requirements. The tours include the channel area, the green valley, sand hills and the seaside. Throughout the trip you get to ride through ancient ruins, forests and valleys. Generally the early hours of the morning are the best time to go riding. Even if you might never have ridden a horse before do not worry, all necessary instructions are given at the farm before the tour starts. On the back of an educated and docile horse you become a master equestrian in a short time.

Sultan Han Çiftliği Tel: (242) 843 51 60