Fethiye Rock Tombs (Amyntas)

Historical Site

Lycian royal tombs carved like temple façades into the cliffs above Fethiye — a magnificent monument to eternity overlooking the town and gulf.

Carved into the sheer rock face just above Fethiye (ancient Telmessos), as though a temple had been buried in the mountain, the Amyntas Rock Tomb is the most striking monument to the Lycian understanding of death and eternity. Dating to the 4th century BC, the tomb’s façade imitates a real temple with two Ionic columns, a pediment and “wooden door” details carved in stone; the Greek inscription above the door reads “Amyntas, son of Hermapias” — the only clue whispering to us whose tomb it is.

The Lycians believed that by burying their dead high up, their souls would be carried to the sky by a winged being; this is why the tombs always look down on city and sea. From the front of the tomb, reached by steps, a panorama of the Gulf of Fethiye, the islands and the town opens out — at sunset especially, the rock turns honey-gold and the view becomes unforgettable. Dozens of smaller tombs lie in the surrounding cliffs, while in the town itself Lycian sarcophagi appear between the streets, beside apartment blocks. It combines into one route with Kayaköy, Ölüdeniz and Butterfly Valley.