Xanthos (Arinna)

The ancient Lycian capital of Xanthos, discovered in 1838 by the archaeologist Charles Fellows. City was a free, independent town till 545 BC., when it was besieged by the Persian army led by Harpagus. Today city near one of the Turkish village called Kinik, lies 18 km north of Patara. You can see the Theater, Tomb of the Harpies, Nereid Monument, Agora, and Inscribed Pillar, among a mixture of ruins from lycian, Roman and Byzantine times, create the special atmosphere of this site whose original reliefs are kept in the British Museum in London . The holy Lycian center of Letoon, 5 km farther to the Xsantos, there are three temples dedicated to Leto, Apollo and Artemis, familiar goods of mythology, which goes back to 4th century B.C., is built between the other two in Ionic and Doric style. All they are await the exploring by tourist. You can find much more information in the web site of Ministry of Culture. (And here is the Turkish version) And if you need a travelwizard...

This photo was shot in February 2002 in Xanthos (naturally :) Photography (& copyright) Özgür Poyrazoğlu