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On the coast, 60km south of Antalya, Phaselis was founded by the
Rhodians in the 7th century BC, and was known as the most important
seaport in Eastern Lycia. On the west of the city is Hadrian's Gate,
with shops and baths on either Side. The city is accessible both by
road and sea.
Phaselis is an ancient Lycian city in the Antalya Province in Turkey. It is located between the Bey mountains and the forests of the Olympos National Park, 16 km west to the touristic town of Kemer and 57th kilometer of the Antalya - Kumluca highway. Phaselis and other ancient towns around the shore can also be accessed from the sea by daily yacht tours.
The town was set up by the Rhodians in 700 BC. Because of it's location on an isthmus separating two harbours, It had been the most important harbor city of the western Lycia and an important centre of commerce between Greece, Asia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, although it did not belong to the confederation of Lycian cities. The city was captured by Persians after they conquered Asia minor, and later captured by Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander, the city remained in Egyptian hands from 209 B.C. to 197 B.C., under the dynasty of Ptolomaios, and with the conclusion of the Apamea treaty, was handed over to the Kingdom of Rhodes, together with the other cities of Lycia. From 190 B.C. to 160 B.C. it remained under Rhodeian hegemony, but after 160 B.C. it was absorbed into the Lycian confederacy under Roman rule. Phaselis, like Olympus, was under constant threat of pirates in the 1st century B.C., and the city was even taken over by the pirate Zekenites for a period until his defeat by the Romans.. In 42 B.C. Brutus had the city linked to Rome. During the Byzantine period, the city became a bishopric, although in the 3rd century A.D., its convenient harbor had fallen under the threat of pirates once again. So it began to lose importance, suffering further losses at the hands of Arab ships, until totally impoverished in the 11th century A.D. There was a temple of Athene at Phaselis, where the lance of Achilles was exhibited. It was the birthplace of the poet and orator Theodectes. It was also renowned for its roses, from which the essence was extracted. [1] When the Selcuks began to concentrate on Alanya and Antalya as ports, Phaselis ceased to be a port of any note.
Phaselis has 3 harbors. The "Northern Harbor", the "Battle Harbor" and the "Protected(Sun) Harbor". The most important of these today is the "Protected(Sun) Harbor". In the middle of the city, there is a 24 meter wide ancient street. In the southern part of the street,there is the "Hadrian Water Way Door". There are ruins of shops and stores on the sides of the street and near these there are ruins of public places like Roman Baths,Agora's and Theatres. These structures are dated to 2nd century BC. There are water canals between the town center and the 70m. plato. There are also numerous sarcophagi.
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