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Ghost Town of Kaya Village - The ghost town of Kaya has been desserted since 1923, there was a population exchange agreement between Turkish - Greek governments. It was agreed that the Greek people in Turkey would return to Greece and the Turkish people in Greece would return to Turkey. The Grek people from Kaya returned to Greece, however the Turkish people in Greece did not want to return as the Greek government did not want to pay the indemnity for any of the lando r homes they owned in Greece. Due to this the houses that hed been reserved for the people to return stood empty for many years. The people who moved to the area did not setle in the stone houses built on the hill side, instead built houses on the flat land. Before the population exchange Kaya Koy was known to have around 25,000 inhabitants, now there are just 2000.

 

The old houses on the hill side were left and can now be seen with broken windows and door, looking very lonely and desolate. The houses are now under protection, but this comes a little late. Levissi village was known to have two churches and 14 chapels, these are now derelict, although the lower church has some interesting features, which are worth a look. There is some restoration work that is ongoing in the area.

Tlos - As one of the six principal cities of Lycia (and one of the most powerful), Tlos once bore the title under the Roman empire of 'the very brilliant metropolis of the Lycian nation'.  It is one of the oldest and largest settlements of Lycia (known as 'Tlawa' in Lycian inscriptions) and was eventually inhabited by Ottoman Turks, one of the few Lycian cities to continue it existance through the 19th century.  There is evidence that Tlos was a member of the Lycian Federation from the 2nd century BC.  Two wealthy philanthropists, one of which was Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, were responsible for much of the building in the 2nd century AD.  Inscriptions tell us that the citizens were divided into demes, the names of three of them are known: Bellerophon, Iobates and Sarpedon 

Xanthos -  was the capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of Lycian history.  It was made famous to the Western world in the 19th century by its British discoverer Charles Fellows.  It is very old - finds date back to the 8th century BC, but it is possible that the site may have existed during the Bronze Age or during the first centuries of the Iron Age

Kadyanda (Cadianda) - Seven km up on the mountainside above the village of Üzümlü near Fethiye, Kadyanda is one of those wonderful remote ruined sites that receives far fewer visitors than it really deserves but is all the more glorious for that fact. Kadyanda was probably originally a Lycian settlement dating back to around 3,000 BC although almost everything to be seen at the site today dates from the much later period of the Roman occupation.Only some parts of the city walls and the odd inscription can be said with any certainty to predate 500 BC. The site is well laid out with a clear path marked by stones and the major structures signed.

Letoon - was the sacred cult center of Lycia, its most important sanctuary, and was dedicated to the three national deities of Lycia - Leto and her twin children Apollo and Artemis. Leto was also worshiped as a family deity and as the guardian of the tomb.  Letoon lies less than 10 km to the south of Xanthos on a fertile plain.  Xanthos and Letoon are often seen as a "double-site", since the two were closely linked and Letoon was administered by Xanthos.  Xanthos-Letoon is one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in Turkey. For this reason, it has been registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. 

Patra

Patara beach is 20 km (12 miles) long, 50 meters/yards wide, and never crowded, because the small village inland from the beach has only a few hundred tourist beds. The ruins of ancient Patara are just inland from the beach, and no big hotels can be built in an archeological zone, so the beach should be protected from heavy development.

 

Patara ruins are interesting: Patara was the major naval and trading port of Lycia, located at the mouth of the Xanthos River, until it silted up and turned into a malaria-plagued marsh.a sand-swept theater, a triple-arched triumphal gate, a necropolis (cemetery) with Lycian tombs, a ruined basilica and a public bath, among others.

Further a field

Ephesus & Pamukkale - Explore two of Turkey’s UNESCO-listed wonders. 

Ephesus, one of the main port cities of the ancient times; it is also the center of culture, art, science, and faith. The ancient city of Ephesus, where there are many archaeological remains dating back to various periods and great civilizations since the Neolithic Stone Age, contains many architecturally valuable structures, including the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Arkadiane Street, Grand Theater, Celsus Library, Commercial Marketplace, Oktagon, Temple of Hadrian, Traian Fountain, Memmius Monument, Domitian Temple, and Stadium are some of these buildings.

 

Pamukkale, or ‘Cotton Castle’, famous for its cascading snow-white terraced cliff side basins and waterfalls. Visit the ancient Roman city ruins of Hierapolis, with Necropolis, Thermal Baths and Masterpiece Theater.  Now enshrined as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins of Hierapolis give an insight into the lives of the ancients during pre-Roman, Roman, and medieval times. Admire the remains of the city gates and theatre, along with the Nymphaeum in front of the Temple of Apollo. Beyond the city walls, and passing the Thermae Extra Muros (Outer Baths) lies an extensive necropolis that extends for over 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) on both sides of the old road to Phrygian Tripolis and Sardis.

Rhodes - Visit the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes on a full day guided or self tour from Fethiye on a high speed catamaran. 

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