The Ancient Cities of Lycian Civilization comprise the remains of 7 major cities from the Lycian League, a kind of ‘United Arab Emirates’ from the 1st century BC – ‘democratic’ but with some cities having more votes than others. It includes the already inscribed Xanthos, so it should be considered as an extension although the Site description does not explicitly say so. ‘Lycian’ in this period refers to a regional identity: they lived nominally under Persian, Hellenistic and Roman rule but were granted a lot of autonomy in their affairs.

I focused my visit on Tlos, arguably the best among the 6 additional ones and in some respects even better than Xanthos (although it lacks the historically important inscriptions in the Lycian language of the latter). On the approach I knew already that it would be a worthwhile visit: the location of Tlos, amidst steep hills and canyons, is stunning. The excavated area is compact, with the Acropolis and rock-cut tombs to the right, the stadium in the middle and the theatre and baths to the left.

The site facilities are still on a basic level, in line with the relatively low 40 TL entrance fee. Parking is done just somewhere by the side of the road. The trails up to the rock-cut tombs are very slippery with loose stones. There is no signposted itinerary either.  Part of the fun is to discover the various elements by yourself. There were a fair number of foreign tourists present despite the relative unfamiliarity of the site.

I started at the tombs that were carved into the hills. On the climb up I passed already two of the sarcophagi that are so characteristic of the Lycians: they were like stone coffins planted on a pedestal. The rock-cut tombs have clean-cut facades but are basic inside with just a stone bench or two. The climb ends at the citadel at the top, which was used and extended in various stages up until the 19th century. On the way down I took another path and ended up at an unknown building (the bouleuterion and / or prytaneion?) which seems to be fully fenced off.

Afterwards, I walked in the direction of the theater, some 500m away on the other side of the road. You will pass the baths, of which the Great Bath was remodelled into a Byzantine church. The theater itself is undergoing major repair, the whole middle section of seat rows seems to have collapsed – is it a still visible result of the 141 AD earthquake that destroyed most of the city? A crane has been put to work now to lift materials and possibly clear the site for restoration.

I’d recommend visiting Tlos or any of the other major Lycian cities in addition to Xanthos-Letoon, as that site may have produced the most important remains but these are now in faraway museums and the whole site set-up is very chaotic. So a thumbs-up for the extension it is!