Limyra Ancient City in Finike with its Nature and History

May 12, 2023

2 minutes read

Limyra Ancient City - Limyra Antik Kenti Finike Antalya

The ancient city of Limyra is located within the borders of Finike district of Antalya province. In the southern part of Tocak Mountain, it includes an acropolis with historical buildings belonging to the Early Period and the area where the Roman and Eastern Roman walls are located.

The name of the ancient city called Limyra is mentioned as Zemuri in the Lycian Inscriptions. This situation is the city’s at least BC. It proves that it has functioned as a settlement since the 5th century. If we give information about the ancient city of Limyra, the ancient city lived its brightest period during the reign of the Lycian King Pericles. After the Pericles Period, its bright period was M.S. It dates back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

The ancient city, which was heavily damaged after the devastating earthquake in the past, still continued to be used as a settlement by people. It was abandoned when the Arab Raids began.

Limyra Ancient City Historical Buildings

The historical structures of the ancient city of Limyra are quite numerous. The Acropolis part of the city is located in the North. The Acropolis consists of an inner castle and a lower castle. There are walls, a church, cisterns and Perikle Heroon in the lower castle area. Perikle Heroon, as the name suggests, is a mausoleum of King Perikle. Grave BC. It is dated to the 4th century. This tomb, which attracts attention due to the fact that its important pieces are exhibited in the Antalya museum, is also considered important in that it resembles the Nereids Monument in Xanthos.

On the plain part of the acropolis, there is the Limyra Antique Theater, the original of which belongs to the Hellenistic Period. M.S. The ancient theater, which underwent a major repair in 141, is one of the most striking historical structures of the city.

There are ancient ruins within the Early Eastern Roman Period wall located in the western part of the city. A monument named Ptolemaion is unearthed on the south wall of this city wall. The monument is dated to the Hellenistic Period. Sculptors belonging to the monument are exhibited in Antalya Museum.

Another structure in this area is the monumental tomb built in the name of Gaius Caesar, the spiritual son of Emperor Augustus. This tomb is M.S. It was built in 4 BC due to the death of Gaius Caesar in Limyra while returning from Jerusalem to Rome.

Limyra is one of the ancient cities with the most rock tombs in the Lycian region. The rock tombs of the ancient city of Limyra are approximately 400. Most of these tombs have inscriptions written in Lycian language.