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All Turkey Fethiye Lycian Rock Tombs
AO Edited

Lycian Rock Tombs

These tombs were built into the side of a mountain so that ancient angels could reach the dead.

Fethiye, Turkey

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Chris Staring
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A Lycian rock tomb.   Atlas Obscura user skaremedia
Dalian near Fethiye - lycian tombs   philoursmars
Fethiye -Amyntas tomb and other lycian tombs   philoursmars
Fethiye -Amyntas tomb and other lycian tombs   philoursmars
Amyntas Rock Tombs from road 9pm April 2022   aaronwood10000 / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  AdOYo / Atlas Obscura User
Dalian near Fethiye - lycian tombs   philoursmars
Lycian Sarcophagus in middle of street not far from rock tombs April 2022   aaronwood10000 / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Inside a tomb at the Myra Necropolis   Driftwood1966 / Atlas Obscura User
Dalian near Fethiye - lycian tombs   philoursmars
Fethiye -Amyntas tomb and other lycian tombs   philoursmars
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About

Carved into the side of a Turkish mountain are what look to be the entrances to countless temples, but are in fact the ornate facade of ancient Lycian tombs.

The Lycians believed that their dead were carried to the afterlife by magic winged creatures and thus they placed their honored dead in geographically high places such as the cliffside. Dating back to the 4th century, many of the numerous entryways are adorned with tall Classical columns and intricate reliefs, a bit duller from centuries of weathering. The older tombs are often no more than unremarked holes dug into the rock.

Despite the external grandeur, the interior of the tombs are spare chambers cut into the rock with a simple monolith inside to display the body and the rooms, are otherwise empty from hundreds of years worth of looting.  

Related Tags

Ruins Tombs Cliffs

Community Contributors

Added By

SkareMedia

Edited By

Rachel, philoursmars, kirchaustin, Collector of Experiences...

  • Rachel
  • philoursmars
  • kirchaustin
  • Collector of Experiences
  • AdOYo
  • aaronwood10000
  • Driftwood1966

Published

November 26, 2015

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  • http://www.365.skaremedia.com
  • http://www.fethiye.co.uk/about-fethiye/places-to-visit/117-fethiye-lycian-rock-tombs.html
  • "Romanesque" is a classic student howler. The term does not mean "Roman looking." It designates a specific period in the art and architecture of medieval Europe.--Miriam Kirch, Ph.D. in art history
Lycian Rock Tombs
Fethiye, 48300
Turkey
36.618561, 29.116751

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