Ancient cities of Antalya – 7 Most Popular Ancient City
Antalya and its surroundings were continuously inhabited from the Paleolithic period to the Ottoman period. The current province of Antalya includes three regions, which in ancient times were called Lycia, Pamphylia and Pisidia, and only about 100 different settlements. We list for you the most beautiful ancient cities of Antalya that can be visited in modern times.
Table of Contents
The ancient city of Olympos
The ancient city of Olympos is located on Mount Tahtali, at an altitude of 2375 meters on the western side of the Taurus Mountains. This ancient city, which has ruins and traces of the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, is also a city of seafarers. In this city, which became part of the Lycian Union, the remains of a theater, basilicas and thermae have been preserved. At the same time, there is an entrance gate at the entrance to the ancient city at a height of 10 meters. This door is believed to be a statue of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
The ancient city of Phaselis
Phaselis, a port city dating back to 693 BC. The city was founded in a small place by the Rhodesians. Phaselis, who was for some time under the rule of Persia and Alexander, became independent in the Hellenistic era. The city, which had been attacked by pirates for a long time, was saved by the Roman generals by naval battles. At the entrance to the city stand out aqueducts, decorated with sculptural pedestals
Ancient City of Patara
The city of Patara is located between Fethiye and Kalkan. This city has the longest beach in the Mediterranean with a length of 14 kilometers. Patara was one of the six cities of the Lycian Union, which had three voting rights. At the entrance to the city stands a monumental statue of the Roman Mettius Modestus, dating back to the 100s. The gate is also used as an aqueduct. When viewed from above, the ruins of a bathhouse and a Byzantine basilica stand out, as well as a temple with a Corinthian head.
Ancient city of Andriake
The ancient city of Andriake is located on the road from Kas to Demre. The city has walls, streets, clock towers and churches. At the same time, the most important remnant of the city is Hadrian’s grain warehouse. The grain warehouse was used to store wheat produced in Myra and nearby cities for shipment to Rome. At the middle gate of the city there are busts of Hadrian and Faustina, dating back to the period of Hadrian. In front of the building are statues of the emperor and his hands of that time.
Ancient city of Myra
The Antique City of Myra, one of the important ancient cities of Antalya, is located 2 km from the city of Demre. The remains of theaters and rock-cut tombs in Mir date back to the 5th century BC. As in Roman theatres, the stage structure is in the form of an amphitheatre. Each theater was used as a temple to Dianis. The rock tombs of Myra have a triangular pediment, a wooden frame and a Hellenic structure, and there are reliefs with a description of a person lying in them.
Ancient city of Side
The ancient city of Side can be visited for free. The remains of an ancient market, a theater, a street with a colonnade and many other structures have been preserved on the territory. The most important building in the ancient city of Side is the Temple of Apollo.
Ancient city of Aspendos
The ancient city of Aspendos is located near Köprüçay in the Serik district of Antalya. According to Greek legends, this city was built by Argive colonists after the Trojan War. Aspendos is known as one of the first cities in Anatolia to mint coins in its own name. From the inscriptions on these minted coins, it became known that the alphabet belonging to the city of people was used.
