Tlos

Tlos was one of the oldest and most important cities of Lycia, occupied continuously from the second millennium BCE into the Ottoman period, and it sits on a rocky spur above the Xanthos valley with the Akdağ mountains behind. The cliff below the acropolis is honeycombed with rock-cut tombs, the finest of them a temple-fronted tomb with a relief of Bellerophon riding Pegasus - the hero was associated with Tlos, and the carving is the site's signature. On the summit is a fortress rebuilt in the nineteenth century by a local Ottoman governor known as Bloody Ali, which is why the acropolis carries an Ottoman castle on Lycian foundations. Below are a stadium, a large bath complex with an apsidal hall known as Yedi Kapı open to the valley view, a theatre with substantial seating and carved blocks lying about, an agora and a basilica. The site is spread out and involves real climbing.

What you actually see

• The Bellerophon tomb - the relief of the hero on Pegasus.
• The cliff tombs - rock-cut facades below the acropolis.
• The Ottoman fortress - the castle on the Lycian summit.
• The baths and theatre - the Roman city on the slope below.

When to go

April to June and September to October, in the morning. Spring brings wildflowers and snow still on the Akdağ behind; summer is very hot with little shade.

Honest expectations

The acropolis climb is steep and rough. Tomb interiors are reached by scrambling and some are fenced. A car is needed - public transport does not usefully serve the site.

Nearby

Saklıkent gorge is a short drive; Pınara is south down the valley and Xanthos beyond.