XANTHOS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Xanthos is the ancient capital of the ancient province of Lycia and stands on a rocky promontory. The ruins are located on either side of the small road leading to the entrance. And you have to walk a little to reach the site. Before arriving, you can see, on the left, the Hellenistic gate of the city, immediately followed by an arch dedicated to Vespasian. From the gate, a paved road led to Letoon and Patara. Once you have bought the entrance ticket, you have to cross the road again. Passing the Lycian acropolis and the Roman theatre to the left of the agora, we find the pillar of the Harpies decorated with bird women holding children in their arms. It seems that these strange creatures were taking the souls of the dead to the other world. This monolith, 5.43 m high, was topped by a funerary chamber decorated with reliefs. As the original marble monument was taken away by Charles Fellows, you can only see a copy of it. Right next to it, Lycian sarcophagi from the 3rd century, a Lion sarcophagus, a Dancers sarcophagus and stone tombs. Further on, the 'inscribed pillar', a 4 m high monolith whose 4 sides are covered with a long text in Lycian language and 12 verses in Greek.

On the other side of the road: on the way to the basilica, which houses superb mosaics, you discover a large acropolis. An interesting necropolis lies beyond the hill. The most beautiful sculptures are on display in London today.