Limyra - near modern day Finiki
Finiki is a picturesque coastal town and port to the west of Olympos which is surrounded by citrus orchards and gardens, and is well worth a visit. It has a sandy beach to the east and rocky bays and coves to the west.
A few kilometres from modern day Finiki is the ancient Lycian city of Limyra. The history of Limyra, on the Limyrus River, is thought to date back to the Hittite period, although archaeological excavations in the 1960's failed to prove this conclusively. Most of the ancient remains in the area are from the Lycian and Roman imperial eras, two period which overlapped to a large extent all over Lycia.
The Roman Theatre at Limyra
There are several places where Lycian rock cut tombs and free standing sarcophagi, forming a necropolis, can be seen. Limyra at times during the Lycian period rivalled Xanthos as the Lycian capital city. In fact Pericles King of Lycia used Limyra as a capital to establish the Lycian Union against the Persians in the 4th century BC. The Pericles Mausoleum Monument dating from this time can be visited today.
Limyra was the site of many occupations, and changed hands several times in the pre imperial period. Limyra was back in the control of the Persians by 333 BC until taken by Alexander the Great. Following Alexander's death the area was then ruled by the Egyptian Ptolemies until being taken by the Syrians in 197 BC, with incursions from Rhodes through this time. The Romans arrived in 167 BC.
The Romans left many remains including city walls which were later extended by the Byzantines. The Theatre, Baths, a Gate, and a Colonnaded Street indicate the wealth of Limyra during Roman times. Gaius Caesar, step son of Augustus, died in Limyra in 4 AD, and his grave and Cenotaph can still be seen.
Limyra also flourished in the Byzantine era with city walls and a church amongst the other ruins.
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