Ancient Cities of Lycia

Former capital of Lycia, seat of the Lycian Oracle, and birthplace of St Nicholas (the historical Santa Claus)

Patara was not merely an ancient city — it was the federal capital of the Lycian League, the port from which St Paul embarked for Rome, and the oracle site rivalling Delphi in the ancient world. Today it remains substantially unexcavated: only 10–15% of the city has been exposed. What has been uncovered rivals the showpiece sites of western Turkey: a magnificent Roman granary, the only known purpose-built parliament building from the ancient world (the Bouleuterion), a triple-arched triumphal gate, a 6,000-seat theatre, baths, and a lighthouse road. Behind the ruins, the Eşen River delta opens onto the 18 km UNESCO-protected Patara beach — the longest natural beach on the Turkish Mediterranean and among the cleanest in Europe. Caretta caretta sea turtles have nested here since antiquity.

Capital of the Lycian state and the most important political centre of ancient Lycia; twice destroyed and rebuilt, twice choosing collective death over surrender

Xanthos is one of antiquity's most dramatic stories. Capital of the Lycian League, seat of the Xanthian kings, and twice the scene of extraordinary collective resistance: in 546 BC against Persian forces under Harpagus, and again in 42 BC against Brutus's Roman legions, the Xanthians chose to burn their city and kill themselves rather than submit. The ruins reflect these epochs in layered form: Lycian pillar tombs and sarcophagi, a Hellenistic agora, Roman theatre, and the famous Harpy Tomb — whose marble friezes were removed to the British Museum in 1842 (the current monument has exact replicas). The Nereid Monument, one of antiquity's most celebrated sculptural achievements, was also removed to London; its reconstructed podium stands in the agora. What makes Xanthos exceptional is not just the monuments but the continuity of occupation — a city that was the centre of Lycian identity for over a thousand years.

The sacred federal sanctuary of the Lycian League, dedicated to the goddess Leto (mother of Apollo and Artemis) — the spiritual counterpart to administrative Xanthos

Of all the ancient sites near Kaş, Letoon is the most otherworldly. Three Hellenistic temples — dedicated to Leto, Artemis, and Apollo — stand partially submerged in an ancient spring-fed lake, their marble columns reflected in water so clear you can see the mosaic floors at 2–3 metres depth. The sacred spring has been flowing continuously for 2,500 years. Letoon was the religious capital of the Lycian League — where league decisions were ratified by the priests of Leto, and where offerings from all 23 member cities were brought. The site's discovery in the 1960s revealed the trilingual Letoon inscription (in Lycian, Greek, and Aramaic), which finally allowed scholars to decipher the Lycian alphabet. Today the surrounding wetlands are an internationally significant bird migration waypoint, and the reed beds around the sacred spring host extraordinary numbers of raptors and waders in October and March.

The ancient port city of the Çukurbağ Peninsula, later renamed Kaş; its monuments are integrated directly into the fabric of the modern town

Most visitors to Kaş walk past the ancient city of Antiphellos without realising it. The Hellenistic theatre at the western end of the harbour promenade — intact to a remarkable degree — sits within a short walk of the Tuesday market. Above the town, carved directly into the cliff face, are the Lion Tomb and the Doric Tomb: Lycian sarcophagi and pillar tombs that formed the necropolis of ancient Antiphellos. The theatre is small (1,500 seats) but perfectly formed — its upper tiers offer the same view across Kaş Bay and toward Kastellorizo that it has offered since the 4th century BC. In the streets around the harbour, Lycian sarcophagi appear unexpectedly in private gardens, at road junctions, and between modern shops. Antiphellos did not end — it simply became Kaş.

One of the six principle cities of the Lycian League; the episcopal seat of St Nicholas of Myra (Santa Claus); its Byzantine church is among the most important early Christian sites in Turkey

Myra presents two extraordinary experiences that are independent but best combined. The ancient city — now largely buried under the modern town of Demre — is famous primarily for its necropolis: a vertical cliff face pierced by hundreds of Lycian rock tombs cut directly into the limestone at multiple heights. They are the most visually dramatic rock-cut tombs in Lycia, their painted exteriors still showing traces of colour after 2,400 years. At their feet, a well-preserved Roman theatre seats 11,000. Separate from the archaeological site, the Church of St Nicholas in central Demre is the burial place of the historical Bishop Nicholas of Myra (270–343 AD) — the figure whose generosity to the poor became the foundation of the Santa Claus legend. The Byzantine basilica, partially restored, contains his original tomb and frescoes. Nearby Kekova island (accessible by boat from Kaş, Çayağzı, or Üçağız) offers the unforgettable experience of snorkelling above a Lycian city submerged by earthquakes in the 2nd century AD.