Ancient City of Xanthos

Xanthos is an ancient city in Türkiye, located in the town of Kinik near Fethiye in the present-day province of Mura. In ancient times, Zanssos was the capital of Lycia, a region known for its unique culture and architectural style. As one of the most important archaeological sites in Türkiye, Zansos is included in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational Science and Culture Organization along with the nearby religious site Letoon. Here's a more detailed look at Zanthos:

# # # Historical Background
- ** Capital of Lycia * *: Xanthus played an important role in the Lycian civilization, which combined elements of native and Greek culture. This area has a long history dating back to the Bronze Age.
- ** Famous Resistance Event * *: In 546 BC, the Persian general Harpagus led an army to capture Xanthus. According to Herodotus, the inhabitants of the city chose to self-immolate and commit suicide, demonstrating an extraordinary spirit of resistance. Later, however, the city was rebuilt.
- ** Rome and the Hellenistic Period * *: Lycia became part of the Hellenistic world after Alexander the Great conquered Asia Minor. Later, Xanthus became an ally of Rome, where the Romans built many buildings, including theatres, baths and temples.

# # # Archaeological Remains
- ** Important Buildings and Monuments * *: The site of Xanthus contains a variety of archaeologically important buildings and monuments, including theatres, columnar tombs, sarcophagi, and magnificent tombs.
- ** Famous Lion Column * *: This is a large stone column topped with a lion statue and is an iconic symbol of the area.
- ** The Column of Marconi * *: This is one of the most famous remains of Xanthus, topped with exquisite reliefs showing the fusion of Lycian and Greek cultures.

# # # UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Together with Le Toan, Zansos was declared a World Heritage Site in 1988. The decision underscores the cultural, historical and archaeological importance of the area.

# # # Visit and Research
- Today, Xansos is an important destination for archaeologists, historians and tourists. Visitors can visit the site, admire the remains of ancient buildings and learn about the history and culture of ancient Lycia.
- Archaeologists continue to excavate and study at Xansos, revealing the evolution of the city at different times and its relationship to the surrounding area.

Overall, Xansos is a place of rich historical and cultural significance. Its ruins show the unique characteristics of the ancient city and witness the fusion between different civilizations.

A nice historical place with a fairly large area to walk around and explore landmarks. There's also a large parking and a shop with souvenirs and refreshments. The entrance ticket costs 70 TL. You can also use a museum card if you have one. Drones are prohibited, indicated by a sign. The staff is friendly and polite, always ready to help and explain if you have any questions. Be cautious when exploring the amphitheater ruins, as some stones are loose and there's a possibility of falling; warning signs inform about this.

The capital of the lycian league very nice very easy to walk i recomend to see the ancient theater First and then take an easy hike towards the the nekropol .on the way there is a Church from bizanthian period and the floors of the Church are full of artwork worth to see . Toilets are not always working, there is a fare space for parking and the cafe is expensive .some good books to buy if you are interested in the enterance enjoy your visit .

Very nice historical place. We just stopped here because I thought it looked nice and I couldn't even imagine how beautiful this is! I just would liked to get to know more about the buildings and have some roads because it's confusing sometimes. But I guess it's even better to let things untouched.
Recommended to go there!

Xanthos or Xanthus, also referred to by scholars as Arna, its Lycian name, was an ancient city near the present-day village of Kınık, in Antalya Province, Turkey. The ruins are located on a hill on the left bank of the River Xanthos. The number and quality of the surviving tombs at Xanthos are a notable feature of the site, which, together with nearby Letoon, was declared to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
Wikipedia

It is an ancient city that must be seen near the ancient city of Patara. I think you should first visit Patara, then go to the ancient city of Letoon and stop by Xanthos from there. This ancient city has been added to the World Cultural Heritage List by UNESCO due to the importance of the historical artifacts found in the excavations.

One of my favorite site so far. It has a very nice vibe. I don't know, maybe because the necropolis looks like Shire of hobbits to me. Go there early in the morning or like evening because area is large and there is pretty much nothing to cover from direct sun. Do not be mistaken tho, on the left side there is a theater and on the right side there is necropolis and many other sites. You need to walk like 10 to 15 mins to reach necropolis. Definitely worth to see !

Very cool. A lot like the Roman coliseum in Rome. Nice little sovevinier shop too. With bathrooms and picnic table .we didn't eat bt I think they had food too. Ruins are amazing

If you love UNESCO sites, then this one is for you. It’s right off a main roadway and is a very large area. Most of the area is in a ruin state, minus some of the tombs and gladiator arena. There are very few signs detailing what each place is, but additional information can be found online.
Be prepared to walk a lot on uneven ground. There are a lot of the ruins right off the road but all the tombs you’ll need to hike to see, which includes climbing up steep hills and over boulders, certainly not meant for people who may have challenges with such things. However, it’s worth the hike to see the tombs carved out of the rocks.

So empty in january that i already knew the other backpacker couple visiting the ruins, we met before in Kadıköy Istanbul. Entrance from the backside is not checked however ticket is as cheap as in other unpopular ruins of the region, museum card works.

A very cool place for lovers of ancient things :3
I do love it as well, there are many places you can see, don't forget a sun cream and be ready to get up pretty much to see the whole stuff!

Really enjoyed the history here, well marked paths and very reasonable entrance.

This is a great Lycia's site. The amphitheater is huge and very well restored and the surrounding tombs are very unusual. The most important city of the Lycian civilization is Xanthos, km from Kalkan, near Kınık village. Impressing those who see it yo this day with its architecture, art and location, the city has been added to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List along with the ancient city of Letoon beside it. The city wirer Lycian, Ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine influences can be seen is specifically famous for its mausoleum architecture. Its fame is such that monumental temple-like sepulcher known as the Nereid Monument at Xanthos inspired the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. There are many well-preserved mosaics but you'll probably need to 'grease the palm' of a guide to uncover them. The clifftop above the river marks the scene, in 545 BC, Lycian families jumped to their deaths rather than submit to the Persian besiegers.

This is a great site. You can actually touch all the buildings. It is not totally excavated yet but you can really feel the air of a place with a lot of meaning. It is extended so be prepared to walk for a while.

"Beautiful place with an ancient touch. I recommend visiting!"

Unfortunately the rest of the temple was stolen by the British Museum.

Xanthos was the capital city of the Lycian, and part of the Persian Empire. It dated
Fifth century BC, ant has a beautiful large amphytheater. We saw the colum written in Lycian language. we enjoy the impresive Lycian funerary monuments, the black and white mosaic. Fantastic view can be seen from the top of the ruins. Its open everyday.

Lovely site! Don't just do the amphitheater and the surrounding ruins - if you cross the road there's a lovely walk you can do following the white stones, showing you some more tombs and a lovely aerial view of the amphitheater

Xanthos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, its a 30 minute dolmush ride away and when we get there its empty, we're the first of the day's visitors.
Its a pretty incredible place to say the least, with a 6th century Kirise Church, a very well preserved amphitheatre, ornate necropoli both free standing and others carved deep into the cliff faces that abound the area, with a multitude of inscribed collumns, some standing but most now lying on the ground. Xanthos must have been an amazing sight to behold in its heyday and would have been hive of activity.

Very interesting and beautiful place, amazing ruins and amphitheatre, there are cute turtles and terrible snakes!