ARAXA ANCIENT CITY

Araxa Ancient City
Araxa Ancient City

At 40 km from Fethiye, there is the ancient city Araxa. If you want to visit this destination, you simply need to follow the signs for Oren village and very soon you will find yourself in a place that will enchant you with its beauty. It is placed in the Xanthos valley, surrounded by walls, which have defended it from external influences, but also with the mountains that were his natural rampart. The ancient city of Araxa is famous for tales of ancient Xanthos Brook, that flows here, and about this brook, there are many stories that can be characterized even as the myths of the past. Xanthos Brook is actually a natural source of extremely pure water.

Within the ruins of this ancient city, one can see the Rampart ruins and public bath. From the Byzantine time, there are canals used to bring water to the city. Although ruined, it is nice to look at a system that at the time for many years in the past represented a source of water and life for the local population. Besides the above-mentioned residues, one can see Lydian houses, or at least what is left of them. Also, you can see some Lycian tombs, and among them a tomb which belongs to Orthagoras. It comes from Roman times, although it is actually made like a tomb of a hero who was in fact an ambassador in the negotiations after the war Araxa led against Bubon and Cibyra.

Besides the ancient city of Araxa, there are still many interesting places in the Fethiye area. Some of them are the ancient city of Telmessos, one of the important centres of the former Lycia. There is also  Sidyma, an ancient city near Kalkan and another Lycian town called Tlos.