Xanthos 
Pillar tombs
At Kinik, some 80km/50mi southeast of Fethiye, an ancient road leads up to the ruins of Xanthos, rediscovered in the 19th century by Sir Charles Fellows. Once the capital of the kingdom of Lycia, the city lies in the valley of the River Xanthos (now Esen Cay), which separates the mountains (Ak Dag, 3,024m/9,922ft) from the upland region which falls away towards the coast.
At Kinik, some 80km/50mi southeast of Fethiye, an ancient road leads up to the ruins of Xanthos, rediscovered in the 19th century by Sir Charles Fellows. Once the capital of the kingdom of Lycia, the city lies in the valley of the River Xanthos (now Esen Cay), which separates the mountains (Ak Dag, 3,024m/9,922ft) from the upland region which falls away towards the coast.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
Xanthos
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Lycia has been called "the oldest republic in the world" - a league of 20 cities governed by a popular assembly and a president. The most notable monuments of Xanthos, its pillar tombs, have no parallel either in Greek or in Oriental art. They first appear in the sixth century B.C. and disappear from the scene in the middle of the fourth century.
In the seventh century B.C. Xanthos came under the control of the kings of Lydia. In 545 B.C. it was destroyed by the Persians led by Harpagos, and Lycia remained under Persian domination until the end of the fifth century. From the second century B.C. Xanthos enjoyed a period of renewed prosperity under the Romans.
Visiting the site
The road bisects the site from north to south. To the right, inside the walled area, is an inscribed 5.75m/19ft-high pillar which recent investigation has shown to be a pillar tomb, originally 9m/30ft high. Round the top was a frieze of warriors, which is now in the Archeological Museum in Istanbul. The Lycian inscription has not yet been completely deciphered; the Greek inscription extols the exploits of the dead man in Oriental fashion.
In the seventh century B.C. Xanthos came under the control of the kings of Lydia. In 545 B.C. it was destroyed by the Persians led by Harpagos, and Lycia remained under Persian domination until the end of the fifth century. From the second century B.C. Xanthos enjoyed a period of renewed prosperity under the Romans.
Visiting the site
The road bisects the site from north to south. To the right, inside the walled area, is an inscribed 5.75m/19ft-high pillar which recent investigation has shown to be a pillar tomb, originally 9m/30ft high. Round the top was a frieze of warriors, which is now in the Archeological Museum in Istanbul. The Lycian inscription has not yet been completely deciphered; the Greek inscription extols the exploits of the dead man in Oriental fashion.
Related Attractions
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Letoon
Five km/3mi south of Xanthos, reached by a side road branching off 1km/0.75mi northwest of Kinik, is the Letoon, an important Lycian sanctuary excavated from 1962 onwards. The remains include temples of Leto, Artemis and Apollo and a theater. A trilingual inscription found here made an important contribution to the decipherment of the Lycian language.
