Information about Phaselis

PHASELIS

Phaselis is an ancient Lycian city in the Antalya Province in Turkey. It is located between the Bey mountains and the forests of the Olympos National Park, 16 km west to the touristic town of Kemer and 57th kilometer of the Antalya - Kumluca highway. Phaselis and other ancient towns around the shore can also be accessed from the sea by daily yacht tours.

The town was set up the Rhodesian's in 700 BC. It had been the most important harbor city of the western Lycia for centuries. Herodotus mentions that it was a city of pirates. Phaselis has 3 harbors. The "Northern Harbor", the "Battle Harbor" and the "Protected(Sun) Harbor". The most important of these today is the "Protected(Sun) Harbor". In the middle of the city, there is a 24 meter wide ancient street. In the southern part of the street,there is the "Hadrian Water Way Door". There are ruins of shops and stores on the sides of the street and near these there are ruins of public places like Roman Baths,Agora's and Theatres. The date of these structures are said to be dated back to 2nd century BC. There are water canals between the town center and the 70m. plato.

Phaselis is at 58th km of Antalya - Finike road. It is also possible to reach Phaselis city by maritime lines, which is 15 km away from Kemer.

It is thought that one of the eastern coastal cities of Lycia, Phaselis is one of the commercial cities of Hellenistic Age of VIth century B. C. It becomes a bishop center during Romans. Thick walls of eastern port of Phasellis, composed of three ports, are still in good condition. Western port, whose front and western parts are remained under sands is appropriate for having a swim.

Most parts of the ruins, which are on ground in Phaselis are remained from Roman period. These ruins are; port, castle walls, Zeus Temple, King Antonius Caravella road, also twenty lined theater ruins. Peninsula's throat part composing street is marvelous. It begins from south port and reaches to city gates. It is thought that it is also used as a stadium from time to time due to width and shortness of this street. Because history writes that two important athletism competitions are performed within Phaselis.

There are two temples near to Agora. One of them is constructed for the sake of "Athena Polias", which is a highly important goddess for Phaselis. Other one is for the sake of "Heista" and "Hermes". There were bronze made spear of Homer's mythological hero, Acchileus within Athena among these temples. Building ruins, a church as well as houses of bishops among these ruins can be faced at sides of the street. Aqueducts, which are covering the water needs of the city, are constructed with Roman style and still in very good condition.

There is also a museum, in which some ancient pieces of art excavated in Phaselis. Also here is drawing attention as an ideal promenade and beach place, composed of a shallow bay, fine sands and a forest, and mountain, sea besides historical beauties.

The Lycian coast town of Phaselis was founded as a Rhodian colony at the beginning of the 6TH century B.C. before which time it seems to have been inhabited by Phoenicians. Located in a fertile area and possessing three harbours, it soon became an important centre of trade, and the Phaselitans were renowned for their commercisl activities.

The city was under Persian rule from mid 6th century until 469, when it gained independence and joined the Athenian maritime confederacy, the Delian League. In 334 B.C., together with the rest of the region, Phaselis too was conquered by Alexander the Great. After his death it was under the dominion of Antigonas, and from the 3rd century B.C. on, of the Ptolemies and the Rhodians, until 160 B.C., when the city declared itself free and joined the Lycian League. At the beginning of the 1st century B.C. Phaselis was captured by Cilician pirates, and during the time of their domination it went through a period of decline. In 67 B.C. it was able to regain independence but in 42 B.C. it was added by Brutus to the Roman Empire. Occupied again by the pirates in the 3rd century A.D. and by Arabs in the 4th century, Phaselis aquired importance once again during the Byzantine Empire, when it became the seat of a bishopric. The city seems to have been abandoned sometime in the 11th century, as a result of the Seljuk invasion of the region. About 10 km or so after the little town of Kemer, a purely touristic resort with a good yacht harbour, you will see on the left side of the road the pretty bays of Phaselis with trees that reach down to the beach. A couple of kilometres later, at a distance of 35 km from Antalya, is the road leading to the ruins, which runs through dense pine forests. At the entrance there is a little white structure, which includes a resting area and also a small museum exhibiting a few archeological findings from the Phaselis area. The place has not yet been properly excavated, and therefore not much information is available on it.

As you proceed towards the ruins, after a while you will see on the left side of the road the remnants of a temple dating from the 5th century B.C., probably dedicated to Athena, and behind it on the hill, a fortified settlement built in Hellenistic times.

A little way ahead is the first of the three harbours of the city, the one referred to as the Northern Harbour. To its north there is the necropolis of Phaselis, which includes some interesting sarcophagi, and to its southwest an aqueduct constructed in Roman times, quite well preserved in places. Opposite this harbour, on the land side, are located the marshes for which in antiquity the city of Phaselis was known as an unhealthy place. The northern harbour and its neighbouring Military Harbour, the mole of which is visible in parts, are joined to the Southwestern Harbour by a paved avenue divided in two parts; along this are situated the main ruins of Phaselis. There are steps on both sides of the avenue leading to small shops, now partly in ruins. To the southeast is situated the theatre, reached by climbing over some debris. About twenty rows are left standing of this heavily overgrown structure which dates from Roman times. Between the theatre and the avenue there is a building in ruins, thought to be a bathouse.

To the west of the second part of the avenue are situated three agorae. The first, referred to as the Rectangular Agora, dates from the beginning of the 2nd century A.D. and to its west is located a little basilica. The next agora is flanked by ruins to the east and south; hare was found an inscription bearing the name of the Emperor Domitian during whose reign at the end of the 1st century A. D. the agora must have been built. The third later than the others, probably in Byzantine times.

Opposite the second agora is a cistern, while at the end of the avenue, close to the southeastern harbour, there is a gateway built in 129 A.D. in honour of the Emperor Hadrian who visited the city at this time.

On the eastern shore of the southwestern harbour are the remnants of the city walls, while in the water is visible part of a mole. Once you have finished visiting the ruins, you should go swimming in any one of these splendid bays of Phaselis.