Antic Cities
Aspendos
According to the Greek mythology, Aspendos was built by the Argive colonists under the leadership of the hero of the Troy war, Mopsos. Aspendos is one of the first cities which published its own coins.
Aspendos is in existence from the 5th century B…Ephesus
The Ephesus Antic City (Ephesos) is a complete Roman City only 1 hour drive from Izmir with baths, library, theater, gymnasium, temples and fountains. Founded by the Carians, Ephesus was one of the 12 Ionian Cities. It was conquered by Alexander the …Kekova
Kekova is the biggest island of Turkey on the Mediterrenean coast. Kekova island lies parallel to the coast thus forming a calm sea in between. Kekova islands' north coast is a complete ancient city with the most part submerged underwater.
Kekova da…Letoon
Letoon, the shrine of the goddess Leto, was the official religious sanctuary of the Lycian Federation, is only 18 km. To Fethiye. The sanctuary became a center of Christian worship and a church was consecrated here; it was not until the Arab raids in…Miletus
Miletus, near the coast of western Turkey, was one of the most important ancient cities in the Greek world, but eventually lost its importance due to the silting up of its harbours.
Great Theater of Miletus rises to greet its visitors as you approac…Myra
Myra was a leading city of the Lycian Union and superseded Xanthos in early Byzantine period to become the capital of the Lycian Union. The ruins of Myra are situated about 2 km north of today's Demre, on the Finike - Kas road. Most of Myra is now co…Olympos
Olympos ancient city was built in the 3rd century BC and was included in the Lycian Union by the 2nd century BC. Olympos became a famous place for honoring Hephaestos, the God of Fire according to the Greek Mythology. Olympos was conquered by a pirat…Patara
Patara ancient city is located on the southwest part of the coast of the Xanthos Valley between Fethiye and Kalkan. Xanthos, another ancient city of Lycian Union, is located on the hills of the Patara beach and city. The city's settlement dates back …Pergamum
In the Roman Period, Pergamum (also Pergamon) played a very important role for Christianity. One of the Seven Churches of Revelation, stated in the Book of Revelation, is in Pergamum. (another church stated in the Book of Revelation, Thyatira Church,…Perge
The ancient city of Perge, 18 km to the east of Antalya lies between the Duden and Aksu rivers. Perge was first founded by the Hittites in 1200 BC. Because Perge does not lie on the shore, it was not destroyed by the pirate attacks. In 334 AD, Perge …Sagalassos
In 1706, Paul Lucas, travelling in the region of Southwest Turkey on a mission for Louis XIV, came to the mountaintop ruins of Sagalassos antic city. The first Westerner to see the antic city, Paul Lucas wrote that he seemed to be confronted with rem…Sardis
About 80 kilometers to Izmir, Sardis (Sart in Turkish), near the Salihli village, was built around 1200 BC and was later settled by the Lydians as the capital of the Lydian Empire. Sardis antic city grew to be incredibly wealthy thanks to the gold th…Termessos
Antalya occupies the site of ancient Termessos (30 km northwest of Antalya), an important Lycian city (also known as Termessus) which was already famed in the time of Croesus for its soothsayers. Due to its location at a height of 1050 mt. at the Tau…Tlos
Tlos is an interesting Lycian city in Asia Minor, in the Mediterranean region of Turkey that is especially spectacular in the spring with snow on the mountains that stand tall behind the theater.
The 19th century archaeologist Charles Fellows who re…Troy
Known as Truva in Turkish, Troy is one of the most spectacular archeological sites in Turkey. The remains of Troy lie just west of the main road around 20 kilometers south of Canakkale. Until 1871 Troy and the famous Trojan War (starring Brad Pitt) w…Xanthos
Being the capital city of the Lycian Union and evidently the greatest, Xanthos antic city lies about 80 km. southeast of Fethiye. Xanthos was discovered by British archeologist Sir Charles Fellows in the 19th century. Dating back to the 8th century B…