Arykanda Archaeological Sitevisitor guide.

The ancient city is situated south of the Bey Mountains, nestled at the foot of the sheer rock cliff named Şahinkaya, which bounds the settlement from the north like a natural wall. Due to this position, its Luwian name 'Arykawanda,' meaning 'Place Beside the High Cliff,' transformed over time into Arykanda. Arykanda was first identified in 1838 by British explorer-traveler Charles Fellows based on funerary inscriptions and coins found on the surface. The city was intensively settled during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Earliest architectural remains are rock-cut cliff tombs dated to the late 4th / early 3rd century BC. Although not playing an active political role in Lycian history, Arykanda prospered through timber trade along eastern Lycia's main thoroughfares. In the Roman Imperial Period, abundant springs made it a secure retreat, reaching its zenith in the 2nd–3rd centuries AD. A hillside settlement, it is bordered by cliffs to the east and west and Şahinkaya to the north. Terraced ruins include a gymnasium and bathhouse on the lower terrace, and a theater, odeon, stadium, agora, and small bathhouse on the upper terrace. The acropolis features Trajan and Helios temples, a basilica at Nal Tepe, and a church in the eastern necropolis. Terrace retaining walls served as city defenses in place of ramparts. DOWNLOAD MUSEUM BROCHURE NEARBY MUSEUMS OLYMPOS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE MYRA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE PERGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE PATARA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE PHASELIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE SIDE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE