Tlos
Ruins of Tlos
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 Shown within Turkey
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| Location | Antalya Province, Turkey |
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| Region | Lycia |
| Coordinates | 36°33′9.13″N 29°25′14.86″E / 36.5525361°N 29.4207944°ECoordinates: 36°33′9.13″N 29°25′14.86″E / 36.5525361°N 29.4207944°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Cultures | Lycian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Tlos is an ancient ruined Lycian hilltop citadel near the resort town of Kalkan in the Antalya Province of southern Turkey, some 4 kilometres northwest of Saklikent Gorge. Tlos is believed to be one of the most important religious Lycian cites and settlement on the site is said to have begun more than 4,000 years ago.
It is one of the oldest and largest settlements of Lycia (known as 'Tlawa' in Lycian inscriptions) and was subsequently inhabited by Romans, Byzantines and eventually Ottoman Turks, making it one of few Lycian cities to be continually inhabited up until the 19th century.
Tlos lies on the east side of the Xanthos valley atop a rocky outcrop that slopes up from a plateau from a modern village, but ends on the west, north and northeast in almost perpendicular cliffs.
The influence of many cultures upon Tlos has resulted in a patchwork of structures dominated by an acropolis and fortress. On the slopes leading up to the acropolis are numerous Lycian sarcophagi and many house-type of rock tombs and temple-type rock tombs cut into the rock face of the hill. One such is the Tomb of Bellerophon, a large temple-type tomb with an unfinished facade of four columns featuring a relief in its porch of the legendary hero Bellerophon riding on his winged horse so called as Pegasus Pegasus. A carving of a lion or leopard is inside the tomb.
At the top of the hill sits the remains of an acropolis and a Lycian fortress, which is evident by the remains of a Lycian wall and Roman-era wall. The Ottomans constructed a fort for the local feudal governor Kanlı Ali Ağa (Bloody Chief Ali) upon the foundations of the fortress.
Since early Lycian times, the city's settlement was likely concentrated on the southern slope and western slopes. Wide terraces with cisterns and the back walls of buildings carved from the rock are found there, as well as an agora, a Roman-era theatre, for plays and concerts, public roman baths and the remains of an early Byzantine church.
At the foot of the hill is a Roman stadium with seating capacity for 2,500 people. Only the seats remain and the arena is now a local farmer's field. Granite columns were strewn about the area, which could indicate a columned portico on the north side of the arena.
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Wikipedia