Places of Historical Interest

There are many land activities for those who want to explore the beautiful area around Kalkan. Tours run from Kalkan every day or hire your own car. The nearby towns of Fethiye, Ka? and Patara also make good day trips and are easy to reach by bus. Kalkan is famous for its proximity to a great number of Lycian archaeology sites. These make excellent day trips and many Kalkan tour agencies run trips to them. Around twenty major sites remain today with a vast amount of unusual funerary architecture (for which Lycia is famous) dotting the mountains and valleys surrounding Kalkan.

Xanthos

The capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of its history. Xanthos stands atop an elevated area within the Xanthos valley with the Xanthos River flowing closely under the city?s west side. From this elevation one receives a supreme view of the valley surrounded by the spectacular Taurus Mountains.

Many interesting things are seen here, such as the "Harpy Tomb", "Xanthian Obelisque" and a very unique pillar tomb, as well as an amphitheatre, a Roman arch, a Byzantine church with lovely mosaic floors and a fortress at the top of the acropolis. Xanthos is on Unesco's World Heritage List.

Pinara

There is no other Lycian site quite like Pinara with its untouched, gorgeous mountain setting of fragrant pines, two thousand year-old olive trees, many wildflowers and herbs and its stunning view of the Xanthos valley.

Because of its remoteness, Pinara remains undiscovered by most people and so retains its tranquil and (truly) mystical atmosphere. The city sits perched high on a mountain reached by a twisting track road and gives one an unparalled eastern view far across the Xanthos valley. It is towered over by a more than two thousand foot high flat-topped mountain cone honeycombed with hundreds of rectangular burial tombs on its vertical east face.

This round cone is the acropolis of Pinara and from this the city received its name, "Pinara" meaning "round" in the Lycian language. Below the acropolis spreads the city, stretching over long terraces which extend in three directions. Features of Pinara include several temples, many large tombs including the "Royal Tomb" and a Greek-style amphitheatre.

Patara

Patara was the major port of Lycia, located at the mouth of the Xanthos River, until it silted up and turned into a malaria-plagued marsh. It was a very wealthy city due to trade and was one of the six principal cities of Lycia.

Following its capture by Alexander the Great it became an important naval base as well. Patara?s oracle at the renowed temple of Apollo (not yet found) was said to rival that at Delphi. In Christian history Patara is famous for being a place of St. Paul?s missionary work at the end of his third missionary journey as he changed ships on route to Jerusalem. Patara was also the birthplace of St. Nicholas (c.300 AD), bishop of Myra and the future Santa Claus.

Patara beach should not be missed with its gorgeous landscape and great swimming. It is a national park and home to many birds, also the breeding ground of the endangered Loggerhead turtle.

Letoon

The sacred cult centre of Lycia and its most important sanctuary dedicated to the three national deities of Lycia - Leto and her twin children Apollo and Artemis.

Letoon was a sanctuary precinct and not actually a city, though it did have a settlement surrounding it. This was the spiritual heart of Lycia, its federal sanctuary and the place of national festivals.

Letoon was the centre of pagan cults activity until perhaps the 5th century AD when Lycia was ravaged by Arab attacks and the area started to silt up with sand brought by the Xanthos River.

The Lycian cult of Leto with its spiritual centre at Letoon was one of the many forms of the wide-spread mother-goddess religion that originated in ancient Anatolia and spread throughout the ancient world. It is noteworthy that a woman was allowed to preside over the national assembly that was held each autumn at Letoon - a reminder of the ancient matriarchal customs in Anatolia.

• Temples - Remains of three temples, each dedicated to one of the three deities of Letoon are located side by side in the centre of the site.
• Nymphaeum - To the south and west of the temples is a nymphaeum connected to a sacred spring, always full of terrapins and frogs, perhaps used in a religious immersion ceremony.
• Amphitheatre - Letoon has a nice theatre with vaulted passages leading to entrances on either side. The entrance on the south-west side has an interesting carving of a row of sixteen masks including the faces of Dionysus, a satyr and a comic old woman.

Myra

This city has a long history and was one of the most important in Lycia. In Roman times Myra was on the sea and was the port where St. Paul changed ships on his way to Rome in about 60 AD.

The city is well known for its amphitheatre (the largest in Lycia) and the plethora of rock-cut tombs carved in the cliff above the theatre. Constantine made Myra the capitol of Lycia as well as a bishopric.

St. Nicholas was one of Myra's early bishops in the 4th century AD, famous for his miracles and known for his kindness. The Church of St. Nicholas in nearby, inside of which is the sarcophagus of St. Nicholas although his remains were taken to Italy during the Latin Crusades of the 11th century.

Kekova-Simena

Kekova-Simena is a very popular Lycian site, situated upon one of the most attractive spots of the Turkish coast and a day trip here makes for an interesting and very relaxing tour. The name "Kekova" is Turkish for "plain of thyme" and describes the area of and around the ancient Lycian sunken city of Simena. A charming mix of ancient, medieval and modern history makes Kekova-Simena interesting as well as beautiful. In ancient times Simena was a small fishing village, later a Crusaders? outpost of the Knights of St. John and now the sleepy fishing village of Kale.

The ancient city of Simena was once of two parts - an island and a coastal part of the mainland. On the mainland the charming village of Kale ("castle") stands today, its buildings mingling with ancient and medieval structures. At the top of the village sits a well-preserved crusaders? castle built partially upon ancient Lycian foundations. Inside the castle is the smallest amphitheatre of Lycia. At the eastern end of the village is a cluster of some very nice sarcophagi overlooking the sea and surrounded by ancient olive trees. Near the harbour of Kale is another sarcophagus, popping up from the water. Across the bay, along the island, are the half-submerged ruins of the residential part of Simena, caused by the downward shift of land by the terrible earthquakes of the 2nd century AD. Half of the ancient houses are submerged and staircases descend into the water. Foundations of buildings and the ancient harbour are also seen below the sea.

Elmali

Elmali is the largest Ottoman town of the southwest area of Turkey, located high on a mountain plain. It is famous for its well-preserved wooden houses (some from the 17th century) in which Ottoman Turks, Greeks and Armenians once lived together until the 20th century.

People here live much as they did in the past and old crafts such as blacksmithing, hand-crafting copperware and making Turkish Delight in the traditional way are still practiced. A very large mosque complex exists in Elmali dating back to the 16th century with hand-painted tiles rivalling those in Istanbul's grand mosques.

The Elmali area is rich in archaeology and natural beauty. Some very significant antiquities including the famous Elmali Treasury have been found in the area and excavations are currently underway at a large mound where antiquities have been found dating back to the 12th century BC. Alexander the Great once marched through Elamli with his troops in 333 BC on his campaign against the Persian army. The road they used can still be seen today.

The misty peaks of the great Taurus Mountains, rushing streams and lush greenery offer excellent photo opportunities and the alpine pastures and famous cedar forests (6,000-7,000 feet) are attractive to hikers. Many semi-nomads live in the area as well, as the highlands are good, cool summer pasture for their flocks of sheep and goats.