Today we visited three wonderful and very different sites, Caunus (map), Cadyanda (map), and Tlos (map), as we slowly made our way from Marmaris (map) to Fethiye (map). To help us navigate the sometimes narrow and winding roads up to the sites, we have a tiny bus packed to the rafters.
breathe in...
Caunus, though, our first destination, required a boat ride.
Peak season?
The ride was all the more special for the procession of Lycian rock-cut tombs we passed as we put-putted along the river.
Not a bad view...
Impressive though they look, they were all robbed long ago, - as nearly all of them have always been visible, - so we did not stop at these. We will be visiting more than enough these next few days...! Besides the tombs, Caunus also boasts a significant population of tortoises.
You are in my sun!
In case you are wondering what a Lycian tomb looks like, herewith a fine example of a rock-cut version from Cadyanda.
exhibit no 1
They come in many shapes and sizes, and date from throughout classical antiquity. They are also often quite finely carved, as on the side of this second Cadyandan tomb.
exhibit no 2
Alas, though, they were often carved out of soft local stone, and so have suffered very badly from weathering. Or worse:
exhibit no 3
There is also one significant difference in practice from contemporary practice on the Greek mainland. There, the custom was to bury the dead outside the city limits, often along the main roads. Here, though...
Tomb cluster on Tlos acropolis, with Ottoman fortress above
One advantage of clambering round to reach the tombs was that we did have a chance to enjoy the sites in their entirety.
Spring arriving at Tlos
But fear not! We did not spend the entire day just looking at tombs. Other highlights included three very fine theatres; two stadia (not Caunus) and basilicas (not Cadyanda); and no fewer than three round structures at Caunus. These last in particular made some of us (who had perhaps better remain nameless) very excited.
Tlos theatre arch detail
Tlos agora with stadium, and 'hall' behind
Note the column drums reused in the retaining wall
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