Lycia
In south-west Anatolia, between the bays of Antalya and Fethiye and extending out into the Mediterranean is the Tek Peninsula known in ancient times as Lycia. Recent excavations and research have brought to light important about the history, language andart of unspoilt Lycia, famous for its characteristic rock-cut tombs, its sarcophagi, and its local script, all of which are unique archeologically. We know from Egyptian, Hittite and Ugaritic text that the Lycians, who were called "Lukka" or "Rw-ku" were involved in acts of piracy against Cyprus around 1400 B.C., that they fought against Egypt in the ranks of the Hittites during the battle ofKadesh in 1295, possessed powerfull sea and land forces by the second millennium B.C. and had already established in independent state. Homer mentions the Lycians in "The had" and tells that during the Trojan War, under commanders called Sarpedon and Glaucos, the battle heroically on the Side of the Trojans against their enemies the archaenas.

Persian rule in Lycia came to an end when the region fell to the Macedonian King Alexander the great in 333 B.C. crossing the Hellespont and landing in Anatolia. Alexander defeated the Persian forces in a battle waged at Granicos in the year 334, after Alexander's death, Lycia, like its neighbouring states, suffered many changes of sovereignty, alternately failing into decline or prospering. Today's Lycia is famous for its majectic snow-capped mountains sweeping down to the blue waters of the Mediterranean, and for its unique historic sites, some of which are described here.


 

Xanthos

Patara

Lycia

Kas (Antiphellos)

Simena

Myra

Phaselis

Olympos

Church of St. Nicholas - Myra

Aspendos