Muğla Tlos Archaeological Site

TLOS RUINS

Tlos Antique City, which is located within the borders of Yakaköy in Seydikemer county of Muğla Province, is located 17 km east of Kemer town at the 25th km of the Fethiye-Antalya highway. Tlos, located on the steep rocky plain on three sides of the southwestern foothills of Akdağlar, the highest mountains of the region, is one of the important western Lycian cities in the Xanthos Valley. The sovereignty of the city is so wide that it is neighbors with Patara and Xanthos in the east, Kadyanda and Telmessos in the west, and Pinara in the south. According to Greek myths, the name of the city comes from Tloos, one of the four sons of Tremilus and Praxidike.

Pinaros, Xanthos and Kragos are also his brothers. However, the name Tlos has no relation with the Hellenes. The truth is that the city name of Tlos is derived from Tlawa, which is a Lycian expression. Tlawa is identical with the "Land of Dalawa" in the Hittite texts. The Hittite Period settlement in Tlos, which is emphasized in the written documents, is today documented with archaeological findings. However, the history of the first people living in this region goes way back to the time of the Hittites in the light of the archaeological data obtained in the Tlos excavations and the findings of the Land and Girmeler cave in the Tlos territory.

The ancient city of Tlos, which was under Persian rule for a long time like other Lycian cities, lived a bright Classical Age in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. In 333 BC, with the arrival of Alexander the Great to Anatolia, the city passed under the control of the Macedonian Kingdom, together with the whole of Lycia. The control of the city passed into the hands of the Ptolemies at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, and the Seleucids for a short time in 197 BC. In 168 BC, all Lycian cities came together to establish the Lycian Union based on the ethnos-police union. Tlos has been recognized as one of the six largest cities of the union with three voting rights. In 43 AD, Roman Emperor Claudius transformed the Lycian Region into a Roman province. During this period, Tlos maintained its importance within the union. In the Road Guide Monument erected in Patara, the capital of Lycia, it is known that the Lycian road network connects to Tlos from seven directions. In the Christian Period, Tlos is one of the important episcopal centers of Lycia; It is documented that this religious significance continued until the 12th century, with archaeological data. The importance of Tlos within the borders of Lycia continued in the Ottoman Period as well. Kanlı Ali Ağa, who was the last person to come to the region in the 19th century, built his castle on the top of the Tlos Acropolis by using ancient ruins.

Scientific excavations in the ancient city of Tlos are carried out under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Taner Korkut, academic member of Akdeniz University Archeology Department. Tlos Ancient City has also been added to the "World Heritage Temporary List" as of February 6, 2009, within the scope of UNESCO's Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In order to represent the rich cultural and natural heritage of the ancient city of Tlos in the "World Heritage List", priority has been given to the excavations of the monumental structures of the city such as the Theater, Stadium, Great Bath, Kronos Temple, Basilica and Rock Tombs.