Turkey impresses with its historical and cultural monuments. Here are the ruins of Troy sung by Homer, the palace in Ephesus, the rocky city of Cappadocia. The Lycian tombs are located in Turkey. They are known throughout the world for their legends, beauty, and unusualness.
Lycian tombs, description and location on the map of Turkey
Where Mugla and Antalya are located today, the state of Lycia lived and flourished two thousand years ago. It is known for its original writing, language, architecture, cultural heritage.
The fertile region, located in the valley of the Xanth River, attracted neighboring states with wealth, nature, and beauty. It was conquered by the Persians, Alexander the Great annexed it to his power, captured by the troops of the Roman Empire, Byzantine rulers.
In the 11th century n. e. Lycia fell under the rule Ottoman Empire and is still under Turkish rule.
Interesting! One of the curious aspects of the life of the Lycians was the belief that the souls of dead people turn into creatures that can fly.
To facilitate the path to heaven, the bodies to which they belonged before death were buried high in the rocks, closer to the gods. Some were placed vertically, believing that this would make it possible to get to heaven faster.
There are rocks with tombs all along the coast. In total, there are more than a thousand necropolises. The largest is located in the ancient city of the World, is called the City of the Dead. The complex of tombs dates back to the 6th century. BC.
Near the peaks were the tombs of noble, wealthy people.
rock tombs
The buildings that make up the ensemble differ in architecture. Some tombs are built as separate structures, in the form of temples. They are called Tapinak. They were built on a square foundation with columns at the corners. A burial chamber was built above them. The facade usually had carvings that imitated the roof. The portico above the entrance, covering its stone, was decorated with drawings from the life of the living and the dead. By the clothes of the drawn one could learn about his profession.
- Some graves were carved in stone, they are called Kaya.
- The tombs differed in size. One would think that the more spacious ones belonged to the rich. Indeed, this is true, but the size of the building was also associated with historical stages. Before the advent of the Roman Empire, the tombs were large. After the inclusion of Lycia in the Empire, they became smaller.
- Some tombs have ancient Greek, ancient Roman columns. The remains of bas-reliefs and inscriptions in the Lycian language have been preserved on the walls. The meaning of many of them is unknown today. An example of a well-preserved necropolis with a portico carved into the rock, two columns made in the Ionic style, is the tomb of Amyntas. On the wall in Greek is written: "Amintas, son of Hermagios."
- Some of the tombs resemble the dwellings in which the ancient Lycians lived. They are called “Houses”. The only difference is that the living built wooden houses for themselves, the dead built stone ones. Some rock rooms were two-story.
- Steps are carved into the stone, which used to be easy to get to any tomb. But mudflows, earthquakes, time did their job, and ruins remained from the steps.
- At the foot huddled the sarcophagi of the poor - "Dahit". They are chambers having a base and a lid. Some were decorated with bas-reliefs, others did not have insignia, symbols, decorations.
According to scientists, the fact that the Lycian tombs were made of stone played an important role in ensuring their safety. Inside, they were looted, but the ensemble, its structure remained intact enough for the buildings to survive to this day.
Interesting! In order to save the burial places from looting, a note was placed in the immediate vicinity of the grave with a promise of curses against those who dare to disturb the peace of the dead. The graves were carefully guarded by all relatives. They were fined for desecration.
Landmark of Greece
Historical facts about the Lycian tombs
There are more than a thousand tombs in total. Most of them are located in the area of the city of Mira, in Antalya, near the modern city of Demre (the name until 2005 is Kale) to the north of the Church of St. Nicholas. Myra was the capital of the Lycian kingdom. The exact date of its founding is unknown.
It is believed that the city was called "Maura". From Etruscan the name is translated as "the city of the Mother Goddess". The name sounded like "Mura", later they began to call him Mira.
The second option is associated with the word "myrrh", denoting resin for making church incense.
Greek mythology did not stand aside either. The goddess of Summer, the ex-wife of Zeus, was hiding from the persecution of the jealous Hera. In secret from the latter, she gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. After giving birth, she needed to drink pure water, wash, the wolves helped her find the river Xanthos. And in gratitude, the goddess called this place Lycia from the word "lykos" - "wolf".
In the XVIII century. due to strong earthquakes, the city was hidden by mudflows and disappeared from the surface. The ancient amphitheater, the Lycian necropolis remained.
Excursion walks
The tombs were cut in soft rocks. This explains their occurrence.
An excursion to the tombs is included in the tour Demre - Myra - Kekova. Tourists can visit the Lycian burials, the temple of St. Nicholas (Nicholas the Pleasant), the amphitheater that has survived to this day, the island of Kekova. There used to be a city of the same name on the island, but after a powerful earthquake, it sank.
Opposite Kekova there is the village of Simen, where the fortress and the smallest Roman theater are located. It is assumed that it could accommodate no more than 400 people.
Excursions are sold in hotels, tourist centers, on specialized sites.
For reference! The price of an organized bus trip to the Lycian Tombs depends on the place of departure. For example, from the famous tourist center Kemer it will be 35 USD* for an adult and 20* for a child from seven to twelve years old.
Opening hours. Cost of visiting
The Lycian tombs are open all year round. In summer, the opening hours are from 9 am to 7 pm. From November to March, the museum is open from 8 am to 5 pm.
The ticket price for the tombs is 15 lire*. At the current exchange rate, this is a little more than 160 rubles *. The entrance to the tombs themselves is closed.
Lycian sarcophagi
How to get to the tombs on your own - route on the map
The Lycian Tombs can be reached by car on the D400. The distance on the map is 142 km from Antalya and 45 km from Kas. Nearby are the cities of Olympos, Finike, Kalkan. The coordinates of this place are 36.25883.29.99432. If you drive from Kemer, then at the entrance to the city of Demre, you need to turn where the sign for Myra is. The name of another attraction, Noel Baba, is written on the same sign. This is the church of St. Nicholas (Nicholas the Pleasant).
At the next roundabout, the signs are already divided and you need to go exactly in the direction of Myra. the distance between Mira and the tomb is one and a half kilometers.
The cost of a car trip to the tombs is calculated as a daily rent plus petrol. On average, the price of a car will vary depending on the class, year of production, capacity, type of gearbox. The average is from 20 to 50 euros*.
Important! An independent tour to the tombs can also be arranged by bus. Demre can be reached from Fethiye. The ticket costs 30 Turkish Lira*. Fethiye can be reached from any big city coast, including from Antalya. The ticket price is 30-33 lira*.
Regardless of how a person goes to the Lycian graves, by bus, taxi or on foot, in addition to tickets, he needs to pay for visiting the museum.
An amazing combination of architectural structures representing the tombs fills with a sense of the inviolability of being and history. Necropolises created in the rocks, carved from stone, give a feeling of the brevity of a moment granted to man.
*Prices are current as of September 2018.
Lycia- in the 1st millennium BC, a highly developed state in the south of Asia Minor, located on the territory of the modern province of Turkey - Antalya.
The Lycian kingdom bordered on Phrygia, Pisidia, Pamphylia and Caria, from the south it was washed by the Lycian Sea.
Most of it was occupied by mountains, but there was also a plain irrigated by the river Xanth.
The country was inhabited by the Indo-European people of the Lycians (descendants of the Luvians, called "Lukka").
In 1 thousand BC. e. ethno-linguistic groups of the Miles, Termyls, and others emerged from its midst. The Lycians borrowed their writing in the 6th century. BC e. the Dorians of the island of Rhodes.
The most significant monument of Lycian writing is a stele from Xanthos (4th century BC).
Major cities of Lycia: Xanthus, Phaselis, Patara, etc. He was famous small town Telmessa, where the temple and the oracle of Apollo were located.
Temple and burial structures were distinguished by their magnificent architecture.
Living evidence of this once outstanding civilization is the unique rock Lycian tombs and a magnificent antique amphitheater in the city of Mira.
The population of the country was engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, winemaking, chalk mining, shipbuilding, and sea robbery.
In the 7th-6th centuries. BC e. Lycia, in the struggle with the Lydian kingdom, defended its independence, but in 546 it was conquered by the Persians.
The latter initially retained hereditary royal power and local self-government there.
Under Darius I, the Persians included the country in the satrapy of Ionia and imposed tribute in the form of grain, silver, wool, etc.
Part of the Lycians was driven to Persia and performed royal work as forced laborers "kurtash".
At the end of the 4th c. BC e. Lycia became part of the power of Alexander the Great, and after his death went to his associate Antigonus.
In 295-197 BC. e. was under the rule of the Ptolemies, which more than once in the so-called. The "Syrian" wars were disputed by the Seleucids, until they finally captured Lycia under Antiochus III.
After the defeat of Antiochus by the Romans in 188 BC. e. it was handed over to Rhodes, against whom the Lycians rebelled three times.
Lycia supported Rome in its struggle with the Pontic kingdom and in 168. BC e. in gratitude for this, she regained her independence.
The state united 23 cities into an independent union, friendly to Rome.
In 43g. AD, under the emperor Claudius, a new Roman province was formed from Lycia and Pamphylia.
In the 3rd century A.D. e. the Romans had to wage a fierce struggle against the bandit tribes of the Isaurians, who captured Lycia.
After the division of the Roman Empire in 395, it became part of Byzantium. From the 11th century belongs to the Turks.
In addition, this is a great way to prolong the summer - at least in a single head and its "pool of memory" :) True, the adventures described in this series of posts took place in early October, and not really in summer - this year the weather is October on the Turkish coast Doesn't even remotely resemble 2011.
So, starting in Antalya, visiting resort towns Kas and Kalkan and three ancient Lycian cities along the way - Patara, Xanthos and Pinaru, we finally arrived at the westernmost point of our route - Fethiye. I lived in this city for five months of the summer back in 2005, here, by hook or by crook, my future husband escaped from Antalya for brief dates, therefore, in our personal and family history, Fethiye occupies the same place of honor as Beldibi and, and I have long wanted visit it again. In addition, and outside the context of personal memories, Fethiye is a remarkably cozy town surrounded by mountains, sea and islands, with low-rise buildings and red roofs that caress the eye after Antalya chaos, as well as replete with antiquities and stunning views both in the city itself and in its surroundings.
In the first series of stories about Fethiye - a view of the city from the rocky tomb of the Lycian king Amyntas (just the other day I mentioned his namesake, the Galatian ruler, a mountainous country northeast of Lycia :)
13. Some of the tombs are a rock-cut facade in the Ionic style, this is no longer a specifically Lycian invention, the design was suggested by the Greek neighbors from the Aegean coast and probably appeared in Lycia with the widespread spread of Hellenistic culture.
15. The best time to visit this place - the hours before sunset, the rocks and tombs are filled with amazing light.
17. The tomb of Amyntas is located apart, higher and further than all the other Fethiye rock tombs, and is the main historical "chip" of the city.
18. Amyntas, son of Ermagios, was buried here in the middle of the 4th century BC, judging by the time of the tomb's creation.
19. Admiring the facade of the tomb from below...
20. ...we go straight to its foot up the slope, along carefully laid steps. By the way, the entrance was paid, but I don’t remember how much it costs.
21. On the way, Irinka spotted a native;)
23. There is also a path leading to the complex of tombs, which we saw from the road, but I do not know exactly where it leads.
24. Halfway there are already beautiful views of the city, mountains and the embankment.
25. Here is the tomb itself.
26. Death is worth living, and love is worth drawing hearts on the graves, the young inhabitants of Fethiye decided :)
27. An unknown author confesses his love to his Tuuche (emphasis on the last syllable), and signs as "in love with death", and now we finally know the name of this lady with a scythe. "I'm a cloud cloud cloud, I'm not a bear at all" :)
28. Irina managed to photograph the entrance to burial chamber without any inscriptions and hearts, respect and respect to her :) It's time to explain that inside the rock tombs there were benches where the bodies of the deceased, gifts and objects that they carried to another world were laid. The tombs were family or clan, in one crypt there was the ashes of several generations. The entrance was locked stone slab, but these slabs are practically nowhere preserved.
29. Almost unreadable inscriptions...
30. And more readable autographs of tourists of all times and peoples :)
32. Our company of Japanese tourists for scale:
33. Stairway to the world of the living.
34. While admiring the beautiful views, I will tell you about the history of the city. The name Fethiye appeared as recently as 1934, after a local native, an airman named Fethi Bey. Before that, the city was called in Greek Makri, in Turkish Meghri (Meiri - Meğri), which means "long", after the name of the island, stretched out at the entrance to the harbor (another version of the translation of the name is "far, distant").
35. Even earlier, from the 8th to the 10th centuries, the city was named after the Byzantine emperor Anastasius II - Anastasiopolis.
36. Nevertheless, at the time when these tombs were carved into the rocks, the city was called Telmessos - "country of light" (this definition later spread to all of Lycia), after the name of the son of Apollo and the beautiful girl, whose love is the inventive god of the Sun and the arts conquered by turning into a kawaii puppy :)
37. Telmessos was located on the border of Caria and Lycia. In ancient times, the city was famous for the oracle dedicated to Apollo.
38. The city repeatedly passed from hand to hand, sharing the fate of Lycia and the entire coast - Persians, Alexander the Great, Romans, Arabs, Byzantium. Those interested can read more here:
fethiyemuzesi.gov.tr/ing/telmessos.asp
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fethiye
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telmessos
www.lycianturkey.com/lycian_tombs.htm
39. While we were admiring the sunset views here, new admirers of history jumped to the tomb of Amyntas;)
While I was filming the kids crawling towards us, my husband was filming a panorama of the surroundings on video,
41. Panoramic shots from Irinka in the end.
43. The hobbit is immersed in himself and memories of how he stood in this very place when he was younger, and it seems to be better (s). Whether it was or not, who knows, but now 2005 seems terribly far away to me, I can hardly remember much, and I hardly recognize myself then in places :)
44. We descend from heaven to earth, not forgetting to admire the surroundings.
And we simply could not pass by such a significant sight. Was it worth going up to the tomb and does this monument really deserve attention? I invite you to explore this with us.
What are the Lycian tombs anyway? First of all, this is a unique architectural structure in the rocks, which dates back to the 4th century BC!
Lycian tombs - special kind tomb art. Firstly, their history goes back more than 2.5 thousand years. Secondly, massive stone sculptures have a very unusual shape. And thirdly, all this stone beauty is carved right into the rock!
Fortunately, unlike many other attractions in the city, the Lycian tombs survived two of the most powerful earthquakes in Turkey (in 1857 and 1957). Therefore, you can look at them now.
Does it really look weird?
The modern resort of Fethiye was built on the site of the ancient city of Telmessos. At one time, it was one of largest cities state of Lycia.
The most famous tomb of Fethiye is the tomb of King Amyntas (the inscription “Amintas, son of Hermagios” is even preserved inside. A copy of the Greek temple was erected around 350 BC. And all this without electricity and construction equipment!
Very impressive:
2. Useful information
2.1. Where is
Lycian tombs are located on the outskirts of Fethiye. You can get to them from anywhere in the city, as well as from Ovacik.
Location on the map:
2.2. How to get there
- Taxi
Taxi to the tombs can be ordered from any part of the city and from the suburbs of Fethiye, you can also order an individual transfer online here.
You can park your car at the foot of the mountain. Taxis also stop here:
- On foot
On foot you can walk from the city center (or the bus station) - you need to go towards the mountains, sooner or later you will see signs.
Road towards the tombs. Our final goal is the mountain in the background:
From this point you can already see the tombs:
- Book an excursion
A visit to the Lycian Tombs is part of any sightseeing tour by Fethiye. Considering that sightseeing does not take much time, you can visit the tombs as part of an excursion group.
- By public transport.
Near the Lycian tombs is the final stop of the dolmush, on which they get here from Fethiye and from the nearest suburbs. We drove from Calis beach (two lira per person). From the bus stop to the tombs, walk another ten minutes.
2.3. Visit time
You can enter the paid territory from 08.00 to 19.00:
2.4. Price
From afar, you can admire the tombs for free - they are perfectly visible from below. Or you can climb to the very top and inspect the tombs from the inside (you will have to pay for this 5 lire).
The price of the entrance ticket to the Lycian Tombs is 5 lire:
3. Photo walk and city views
You can climb to the farthest tomb:
Here begins a very steep climb uphill:
Climbing up is incredibly difficult:
From the information poster, we learned a couple of facts from the history of the tombs:
Opposite the cash register is a cozy cafe with beautiful view:
Immediately behind the cash register, the stairs begin:
A steep staircase stretches all the way to the entrance to the tomb:
Stunning view of Fethiye from the highest point:
And this is the view from the other side. By the way, on the mountain to the left are the remains of a fortress. And you can go up there for free:
The inside of the tomb looks like this today. No comment:
View from the tomb of the city:
Against the backdrop of Fethiye:
The tomb itself is striking in its giant size! But the room allocated for the sarcophagus is quite tiny. And again, very, very steep stairs:
Stunning views of the port and city.
Lycia - wonderful country who gave modern world almost completely destroyed cities with magnificent buildings created by famous masters of that time. Much was lost thousands of years ago, but some works of architectural art have come down to us. They look, of course, not like then, but still amaze people from all over the Earth with their unusualness.
Numerous huge amphitheatres, aqueducts and sacred places still keeping rich history wonderful country Lycia.
But all these beauties are not as numerous and interesting as the famous Lycian tombs - graves on the island of Teke, which appeared long before the beginning of our era.
You can find them throughout the country. Archaeologists have found a huge number of burials that have come down to us in an unchanged state. They are of great interest unusual shape and decorations created according to all the canons of the Lycian culture.
All tombs are divided into four main types: Kaya, Tapinak, Dahit and "Houses".
Kaya city of the dead
In Lycia, you can find tombs carved directly into the rock. This is one of the earliest Lycian burials. A large number of burials can be found in the city of Mira, which is located a few kilometers from modern city Demre. The tombs of Kaya are assembled into entire complexes and from a distance can resemble entire empty settlements.
They are very difficult to reach, so these burials are better preserved than others. Particularly impressionable tourists, arriving in Lycia, do not immediately understand that they have come to the burial places, and not to an abandoned city.
The tombs consist of a square foundation and are decorated with carved columns. Above them is a burial chamber. The facade and columns are decorated with carvings and Lycian ornaments. Currently, some burials are not in the best condition, but they have not become less beautiful because of this.
Tapinak temples of the dead
You can meet them almost everywhere. But most of the graves are located in the ancient city of Kaun. The most popular burial was the tomb of Amyntas, which is located in Fethiye.
All the tombs are made in the form of temples with two columns. Outwardly, they are similar to Kaya, but internal architecture differs. The entrance to the tomb is bordered by a small portico, which is an empty space. Immediately behind it is the burial room.
Houses for the dead
These tombs are very similar to the national Lycian houses. They have several floors and a decorated entrance in the form of a rectangle.
The entire area of the tombs is covered with icons, drawings in the Gothic style. Hidden within them is a burial chamber similar to Tapinak.
Unusual sarcophagi
The tombs are scattered all over the world, you will not surprise anyone with them. But Lycia is famous for its sarcophagi, which, due to their layered structure, are shaped like a tower. All sarcophagi have three levels.
The first level is represented by the base of the tomb, the second is the burial, and the third is the roof, resembling the roof of an ordinary house.
Servants and slaves were kept at the lower level. The upper ones were intended for gentlemen and the elite and were decorated with frescoes.
The most famous sarcophagus was found in Xanthos. The frescoes that decorated it are stored in.
Sign of respect
All the tombs were made very gracefully and sophisticatedly. It can be concluded that the Lycians respected death and worshiped it.
They even created a defense system against robberies. A note with a curse was placed near each tomb, warning of what could befall the infidels in case of robbery. Whole families guarded the graves. There were fines for looting.
The amount was set either by the next of kin, or by the deceased himself while still alive.
