Ancient Lycian City of Tlos

My Journey Through the Civilizations of Turkey - Part 1

As I'm writing this, I have a love - hate relationship with the time I spent in Turkey. Its current political environment made it challenging to enjoy various modern-day cities. And yet the ancient history of Turkey is fascinating. It's geography—bridging Europe and Asia—makes it a crossroads of cultures. Each civilization left behind cities, temples, fortresses, and art, creating one of the richest archaeological landscapes in the world.

History of Anatolia civilizations

• The first people to inhabit modern day Turkey are the Neolithic cultures which include the Gobekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe tribes around 11000BCE - 5500BCE. These sites uncovered in the last 30 years are believed to be used for various religious rituals and farming communities

• From 5500BCE - 2500BCE, the Neolithic tribes developed communities marked by using copper and early bronze tools. These farming communities traded among themselves, consolidating their power and creating larger cities.

• What emerged from these cities is the Hattian Empire (2500BCE - 1700BCE) as a distinct indigenous people with their own language and religion based in the capital city of Hattusa. The capital of Hattusa was later absorbed into the Hittite Empire (until 1200 BCE). At its peak the Hittite kingdom stretched from the Aegean Sea, across Northern Syria and to the Euphrates River.

• With such a vast empire, various states formed throughout the Hittite lands. One such state is Lycia, located in the southwest part of the empire, near the city of Fethiye. The Lycians developed their own language and religious practices. I was able to take a day trip to one of the oldest and most preserved Lycian cities, Tlos.

Tlos. was one of the oldest and largest cities of Lycia, located in modern-day Muğla Province, Turkey. It was a key settlement in the Lycian civilization. Tlos is deeply tied to Greek mythology. Its legends center on heroic figures and divine connections that gave the city a mythical aura. Tlos is traditionally considered the home of Bellerophon, the hero who tamed the winged horse Pegasus. According to myth, Bellerophon lived in Tlos and performed heroic deeds, including slaying the Chimera. The city’s acropolis was believed to be his residence, and locals revered him as a founding figure. A rock-cut tomb in Tlos is traditionally identified as the Tomb of Bellerophon.

Tlos was associated with Zeus, who was worshiped there under the epithet Zeus Karios.The blending of Lycian traditions with Greek mythology shows how Anatolia acted as a crossroads of civilizations.

The remains of the stadium and amphitheater

The ancient city of Tlos was continuously inhabited for nearly 5,000 years. It thrived under the Lycian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman civilizations, but eventually declined and was abandoned in the 19th century. During the Roman period the city flourished with theaters, baths, and stadiums, integrating into the Roman Empire’s urban network. During the Byzantine era the city continued as a Christian center, with churches and fortifications built on the acropolis.

Here are additional photos of my time wandering through the ruins of the city of Tlos.