Fethiye and its surroundings lie at the western edge of the region known in antiquity as Lycia. With their own language, alphabet and distinctive tomb architecture, the Lycians created one of the most original civilisations of Anatolia.
Ancient Telmessos
The ancient city of Telmessos stood where Fethiye is today. In antiquity Telmessos was famous for its soothsayers. The Roman theatre in the town centre and the Lycian sarcophagi scattered among the streets are traces of this past that you can still see today.
The Tomb of Amyntas
The largest of the temple-fronted tombs carved into the cliffs above the town is the Tomb of Amyntas, dating from the 4th century BC. Its Ionic façade carries the inscription "Amyntas, son of Hermagios". At sunset, the light on the rock makes the tombs visible from all over town.
The origin of the name Fethiye
In the Middle Ages the town was known as Makri, and in Ottoman times as Meğri. In 1934 it was renamed Fethiye in memory of Fethi Bey, one of the first Ottoman pilots, who was killed during a flight in 1914.
Kayaköy
Kayaköy (Levissi), with its hundreds of stone houses on the hillside, was a thriving Greek town until the population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1923. Largely abandoned after the exchange, the village with its churches and roofless houses is now like an open-air museum.
Gemiler Island
Gemiler Island, off Ölüdeniz, has the remains of Byzantine churches and a vaulted processional walkway. The island is thought to have been an early Christian pilgrimage site associated with Saint Nicholas.
Xanthos, Letoon, Patara and Tlos
East of Fethiye lie the most important cities of Lycia. Xanthos, the Lycian capital, and Letoon, its sanctuary, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. Patara is known for the assembly building of the Lycian League and as the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, while hilltop Tlos is one of the oldest settlements in Lycia.