Lycia
Lycia is the mountainous coast between Antalya and Muğla, a landscape of pine forests, deep bays and rock-cut tombs. The Lycians spoke an Anatolian language, wrote with their own alphabet and organized their cities into a federal league that impressed later Greek observers. Xanthos was the league's political centre and Letoon its sanctuary; both are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Patara was a major harbour and the birthplace of Saint Nicholas; Myra has Roman rock tombs and a theatre; Olympos and Phaselis show the coast's Hellenistic and Roman layers. Lycian tombs often imitate wooden houses, a reminder that local building traditions shaped monumental architecture. The league's coins and inscriptions are among the earliest examples of federal representative institutions.
Where to see it
Related civilizations
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