Limyra

Limyra is an ancient Lycian city in Antalya Province in southwestern Turkey, notable for its extensive necropolis and substantial Hellenistic and Roman ruins. The site preserves visible remains from antiquity through the Byzantine period.

The principal draws on-site are the rock-cut Lycian tombs and above-ground sarcophagi, an extensive necropolis, and a large Hellenistic-Roman theatre. Visitors will also see city walls, an agora area and scattered Roman-period structures across the archaeological footprint.

Limyra was an inhabited urban centre in the region of Lycia from the classical era into late antiquity and was incorporated in the political life of the Lycian cities and later the Roman provincial system. The visible ruins date mainly to Hellenistic and Roman occupations, with continued use and modification into Byzantine times.

The ruins sit inland in Antalya Province near modern settlements on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, set into a limestone landscape above the coastal plain.

• Access and terrain: Best seen on foot from nearby modern villages where limited parking is available; site is largely open-air with uneven ground.
• Lycian tombs: Several large sarcophagi and carved tomb facades are concentrated on the necropolis slope and make for the most visually striking features.

What to See #

• Archaeological core (theatre, walls, necropolis): Remains of a large ancient urban site including a theatre, surviving sections of city walls and gate, and an extensive necropolis with rock-cut tombs and monumental sarcophagi.
• Necropolis and sarcophagi: A cluster of Lycian-style rock-cut tombs and above-ground sarcophagi carved into the surrounding limestone that form the main visible cemetery area.
• Agora and Roman-era remains: Ruins of the agora and scattered Roman-period domestic and public buildings visible across the site; many finds date to Hellenistic and Roman periods.