Letoon:
Letoon was the sacred cult center of
Lycia and its most important sanctuary
dedicated to the three national deities
of Lycia - Leto and her twin children,
Apollo and Artemis. Letoon was a shrine
and not actually a city, though it
did have a settlement surrounding it.
This was the spiritual heart of Lycia,
its federal sanctuary and the place
of national festivals. The features
of Letoon include the remains of three
temples, dedicated to one of Leto and
her twins Artemis and Apollo, an agora,
a nymphaeum and an amphitheatre.
Xanthos:
Xanthos was the capital city of the
Lycian Federation and its greatest
city for most of Lycian history. It
was made famous to the Western world
in the 19th century by its British
discoverer Charles Fellows. Xanthos
is of great antiquity - finds date
back to the 8th century B.C. but it
is possible that the site may have
existed during the Bronze Age or during
the Iron Age.
Xanthos stands up atop an elevated
area within Xanthos Valley with the
Xanthos River flowing closely under
the city's west side.
From this elevation one receives a
supreme view of the valley surrounded
by the spectacular Taurus mountains.
The ancient Lycian site of Xanthos
lies a few kilometres south of Letoon,
close to the village of Kinik.
On the road from Fethiye to Kalkan
there is a sign post - a track leads
off left up to the ruins.
|