Antalya Turkey

Fethiye Oludeniz, Turkey Information

FETHİYE is well sited for access to some of the region’s ancient sites, many of which date from the time when this area was the independent kingdom of Lycia. The best beaches, around the Ölüdeniz lagoon, are now much too crowded for comfort, but Fethiye is still a real market town and has been able to spread to accommodate increased tourist traffic. Fethiye itself occupies the site of the Lycian city of Telmessos, little of which remains other than the impressive ancient theatre, which was only unearthed in 1992, and a number of Lycian rock tombs on the hillside above the bus station. You can also visit the remains of the medieval fortress, on the hillside behind the harbour area of town. In the centre of town, off Atatürk Caddesi, the small museum (Tues–Sun 8.30am–5.30pm; $2) has some fascinating exhibits from local sites and a good ethnographic section.

One of the most dramatic sights in the area is the ghost village of KAYA KÖYÜ (Levissi), 7km out of town, served by dolmuşes from the old bus station. The village was abandoned in 1923, when its Anatolian-Greek population was relocated, and all you see now is a hillside covered with more than two thousand ruined cottages and an attractive basilica. Ölüdeniz is about two hours on foot from Kaya Köyü – through the village, over the hill and down to the lagoon – or a dolmuş ride from Fethiye. The warm waters of this lagoon make for pleasant swimming, if you don’t mind paying the small entrance fee, although the crowds can reach saturation level in high season – in which case the nearby beaches of Belceğiz and Kidrak are better bets. Ölüdeniz is also the starting point for the Lycian Way, Turkey’s only marked trekking route, which starts from near the Montana Holiday Village on the Fethiye–Ölüdeniz road and winds along the coast almost as far as Antalya.

East of Fethiye lies the heartland of ancient Lycia, home to a number of important archeological sites. The closest is the LETOÖN, accessible by dolmuş from Fethiye to Kumluova, the site lying 4km off the main highway. The Letoön (daily 7am–7.30pm; $2.50) was the official sanctuary of the Lycian Federation, and the extensive remains bear witness to its importance. The low ruins of three temples occupy the centre of the site, and there is also a large, well-preserved theatre, entered through a vaulted passage. On the other side of the valley, the remains of the hilltop city of XANTHOS are perhaps the most fascinating of the Lycian sites, though the most important relic discovered at the site, the fourth-century Nereid Monument, is now in the British Museum. Buses between Fethiye and Patara drop you off in Kanak, from where it’s a ten-minute walk up to the ruins (daily 7am–7.30pm; $2.50). West of the car park are the acropolis, agora and a Roman theatre, beside which are two Lycian tombs – the so-called Harpy Tomb, decorated with pairs of bird-woman figures carrying children in their arms, and a sarcophagus standing on a pillar tomb. Northeast of the agora looms a structure known popularly as the Xanthian obelisk – in fact the remains of a pillar tomb covered on all four sides by the longest-known Lycian inscription.

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