The Ancient Fetihye

Of ancient Telmessus, nowadays called Fethiye, nothing remains except a number of rock tombs and sarcophagi. The rock tombs which cut into the cliffs that rise behind the town can be admired clearly from the sea. To get to them you must climb up a lot of steps clearly sign-posted from the town. The largest is that of Amyntas, an unknown citizen which was built in the 4th century BC, in the Ionic order, embellished with a frieze and imitation iron studs on the door of the main chamber. Inside is a chamber with three benches for the dead. Many other tombs can be seen around it as well as sarcophagi around the town, one of them is especially interesting: a heavy stone carved to represent a two-storey Lycian house with a curved lid adorned with a relief of rows of warriors. It says much for the Lycians artisans when the 1957 earthquake destroyed most of modern Fethiye and the lid of the sarcophagi moved only slightly.

Telmessus seems to have been an independent city in Lycia for some of the time. In the 4th century B.C. the Lycians besieged it and brought it into the Lycian League. Telmessus has been described as a place where divination was practiced and Telmessian seers were well known in ancient times. Close by, at Patara there was a famous oracle of the ancient world. Even the father of Alexander, Philip, had called a sage from Telmessus to interpret his dreams. Aristander, the sage, predicted that Alexander was to be born and he prophesied the entire future of the prince. Alexander grew up to respect this sage, and always had him by his side and even accompany him during the eastern campaign.

Thanks to this sage, Telmessus surrendered to Alexander immediately without any damage being done to the city. The commander of Alexander's fleet entered the harbor and asked the citizens to allow their musicians to enter the city. When the citizens accepted, the musicians entered, and during the night took over the fortress with the spears and shields they bore with them. Alexander then left his commander as the general governor of Lycia, thus trying to placate the King of Telmessus.

After Alexander's death, Telmessus remained in Ptolomaian hands for some time, and after 189 B.C.. it was joined to the kingdom of Pergamon for a period before being annexed to the Roman empire. It was finally handed over to Rhodes, like all the Lycian cities. In 168 B.C. Telmessus entered the Lycian Confederacy, and struck a coin to commemorate the event. During the Byzantine period, the city continued to exist as an important center in the area, but after the 7th century A.D. its importance was depleted by the threat of Arab attacks.

The medieval battlements were re-inforced by the Knights of Rhodes, who tried to control the region from there. Their castle is seen to the west of the rock tombs.

The city had different names after the 6th century, Anastasius called it Anastasiopolis, and for some time during the Ottoman period it was called Megri until it took the name of Fethiye in the 19th century. The earthquakes of the 19th century destroyed anything that remained of the ancient buildings. Even the modern town was completely rebuilt in 1957 after a heavy earthquake. The actual open-air cinema is properly located on top of the ancient theater ruins.

 

The coast between KUSADASI and BODRUM: St. JOHN'S HERITAGE
The coast between BODRUM and MARMARIS: the “TURQUOISE COAST”
The coast between MARMARIS and FETHIYE: the ROUTE OF ST. PAUL
The coast between FETHIYE and KAS: the LYCIAN COAST
The coast between KAS and ANTALYA: the “COAST OF LIGHT”