Xanthos

After Letoon, you will drive through small villages, full of greenhouses that cover almost every inch of the local farmer’s 10-acre plots of farmland. They grow tomatoes in the winter for the entire country, and cotton and tobacco in the summer. After 20 minutes you will reach XANTHOS. Xanthos rests on top of a hill overlooking the Xanthos river which provides crystal clear water to the 20,000 inhabitants, only miles from its source in the mountains. Xanthos was the capital of Lycia and mentioned in the "Iliad" for its fine meats, wines and bountiful vegetables. When you visit this city, surrounded with walls, you will see a Hellenistic gate at the left hand side and another gate built for the Emperor Vespasianus. The ruins that stand on the right hand side are the remains of the Monument of the Nereids, which dates back to 400 BC and is kept at the British Museum today.

The center of Xanthos consists of the Roman theater. The Roman tower-tomb is located first adjacent to tee theater. The Lycian monumental tomb, 8.59m in height and belonging to the 4th century BC, is in the middle. The other monument adjacent to this one, is the Harpy monument which is 8.87m in height and belongs to the year 480 BC Owing to the fact that the reliefs of the upper part of this monument had been taken to the British Museum, the ones that we see here today, are the copies made of plaster. The wide area adjacent to this monument, is the Roman agora of Xanthos. There is a monument in the eastern part of the agora; it is 11m in height and there are inscriptions written in Greek and Lycian script on it. There is a Lycian acropolis behind the theater. And immediately behind the theater, there is a Lycian monumental tomb. The remains of a Byzantine church are at the side of this monument. The remains of a palace of the Lycian period lie at the center of the acropolis and, a little further, there is a Lycian pool carved in the rocks. The place of recreation of the Lycian King, is located at the extreme end of the acropolis at a point overlooking the lowland. The Roman acropolis is on the hill which is at the east of the theater. There is a Byzantine basilica in the acropolis. Many rock-tombs and their monuments are placed side by side in the southeast of the acropolis. The Lycian monumental tomb belonging to the 4th century BC and located at a point near the city walls, is 6.39 m. The remains of the Monument of Payava are seen at a point a little further towards the right hand side of this; and the monument itself has been carried to the British Museum. Down below, at a point where the city walls form a corner, only the base of the tomb with lions, belonging to the date 540 BC, is seen.

One of the most interesting stories of Xanthos relates to the two tragic mass suicides. The first in 546 BC when the Persians with their superior army advanced to attack the city of Xanthos. Herodotus tells us “when Harpogus advanced into the plain of Xanthos, they met him in battle, though greatly outnumbered, and fought with much gallantry: at length however, they were defeated and forced to retire within their walls, whereupon they collected their women, children, slaves, and other property and shut them up in the citadel, set fire to it and burnt it to the ground.  Then having sworn to do or die, they marched out to meet the enemy and were killed to the last man.” 
-  Five hundred years later the same thing happened when Brutus attached Xanthos in 42 BC. 

As you walk around, notice that Xanthos has three layers - Lycian, Roman and Byzantine.  Its easy to tell the difference in the walls – the Lycian: made with huge boulders strategically placed on top and along side each other to ensure stability. The Roman walls: smaller rocks cut in rectangles and placed on top and next to one another, and the Byzantine walls: small rocks held together by mortar. You can also see remnants of the different systems of carrying the water to Xanthos – from Lycian cisterns and paddlewheels to Roman aqueducts.

On the drive out of the city you will see the Necropolis on the hillside alongside a local picnic area.  As we drove by I wondered if the picnickers realized how lucky they were to be dining in the midst of such great history and brave warriors. 

A copy of this information is available onboard the Gundogan for your convenience.