Tlos Antik Kenti

The ancient city of Tlos, located within the boundaries of Yaka Mahallesi of Seydikemer, is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is one of the oldest settlements in the geography known as the Lycian Region. The acropolis at the entrance of the ancient city, which is recorded as Dlawa in the Hittite documents of the 14th century BC and as Tlawa in the Lycian inscriptions, impresses those who see it with its nature-dominated appearance.

The surroundings of the acropolis hill, which is naturally sheltered with its steep slopes of approximately 500 meters in height, have been fortified with fortifications from place to place. On the way to the Tlos castle, the temple tombs carved into the rocks on the slope attract attention. The most magnificent of these tombs is the tomb monument of Bellerephontes, where the winged horse Pegasus is depicted fighting the three-headed monster Chimera. Two columns at the entrance, a three-section wall, a door decorated with ornaments in the middle, and the doors leading to the burial chamber on both sides increase the interest in the structure. At the foot of the acropolis, there are a few rows of seats, stadium, bath, theater and church ruins. On the plain under the castle are the remains of a nine-meter-wide Lycian (Lycian) wall. In the south of the city agora, whose six-arched gate is still standing, the Roman period walls can be seen. The important structure of Tlos is the theater. However, the stadium is also of great importance. Tlos is also known as the sports city of Lycia.

Tlos is the shining star of the region in terms of archaeological, cultural, religious and economic aspects in the historical process. It carries the traces of the settlement that continued uninterruptedly from the Neolithic period to the Iron Age. In fact, in the written sources of the Hittites, (Anal, Annual) Tlos is mentioned as a country. Tlos, which is an important center in terms of Christian history, is one of the most important episcopacy centers of Lycia. This religious significance continued until the 12th century. It also bears the traces of the Ottoman Period. In the 18th century, Tlos was the intersection point of the trade routes of the region.