Letoon ancient city, connected to Muğla Fethiye-Kas Highway 65. it is an ancient Lycian settlement located near the village of Kumluova. Because it is the religious center of the Lycian civilization, it has a historically important place,
When the cult of Apollo spread in Greece, many places produced legends to get the honor of being the cradle of God. Delos is also related to such a legend. Of course, what can happen if Apollo, The God of the sun, is from Lycia, the land of light. And his name is Lykian. Letoon Theatre (Roman era) Artemis is a continuation of Kybele, the mother goddess of Anatolia, and its name in these ages. The statue of Artemis, symbolizing fertility in Ephesus, clearly proves this. It is assumed that the mother of these gods, Latvia, was also Anatolian and integrated with Kybele. The city of Letoon, founded in the name of Leto, is the sacred center of Lycia.
Since 1988, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List along with the ancient city of Xanthos (Xanthos). The ancient cities of Xanthos and Letoon are important elements of the world heritage in terms of the archaeological values they contain. Stone inscriptions were removed from here, where the longest and most important texts in the Lycian language can be seen. Lycian civilization, a union formed by many small city states that ruled in the region between Antalya and Muğla, in fact, it would be more accurate to say the most Democratic Union of antiquity
History Of Letoon Lieutenant of the British Navy in charge of the ship Beacon Rd. Letoon ancient city, discovered by Hoskyn, located 4 kilometers from the UNESCO Heritage Site Xanthos ancient city, In Letoon, which has been under the rule of the Persians, Carians and ancient Greeks throughout history, finally, the Roman Emperor Hadrian built an imperial Cultural Center on his behalf. Ancient area abandoned after Roman times m.S. 5. Christianity came with the church built in the century. Thus, polytheistic religions were abandoned. But sanctuary 7. it was completely abandoned in the century.
In 1962, Prof. Dr. H. The city was started by Metzger and then tried to be brought to light by excavations carried out by Christian Le Roy.He. VIII. he has shown that he has gone to the century. 7 AD according to the known date. abandoned in the century, Letoon is also part of the Lycian Way walking route, starting from Fethiye and extending to Antalya. The ancient city, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is on the Lycian walking path route. Hundreds of tourists come to explore this area every day from surrounding tourism centers such as KAS, Fethiye, Kalkan, Patara.
Phoibe, with a kiosk from the Titans. Like their other loved ones, she has Leto and Leto becomes pregnant. By following the jealous wife of the flirtatious Zeus, the goddess Hera Leto, step by step, he tries to prevent her from giving birth to his children, which will also be from Zeus. Finally, Leto escapes to Lycia in Anatolia and gets rid of Hera, and according to a legend, he gave birth to Apollo in Patara, although it is said that he gave birth to his children Artemis and Apollo on the island of Delos.
When he gets to the point where the ancient city of Letoon is located today, he wants to wash his children in the water found here. But the people who are afraid of the goddess Hera do not want Leto here. Leto, on the other hand, gets angry and turns the local people into frogs. 7 BC. from the century on, an altar has been installed around this holy water source and dedicated to the water nymphs known as ‘Elyana’ in Lycian language.
Ruins Of The Ancient City Of Letoon In 1962, Prof. Dr. H. The city was started by Metzger and then tried to be brought to light by excavations carried out by Christian Le Roy.He. VIII. he has shown that he has gone to the century. In the ancient city of Letoon, which was the religious center of Lycia in ancient times, the temples of Letoon, Apollo and Artemis, the Temple of Apollo, built in the Doric style in the East, are less preserved than the Temple of Letoon, and the Temple of Artemis, located in the middle of both temples, is the smallest. To the southwest of these three temples is a fountain, and in the eastern part is a church-monastery complex, entrance gate and holy road, a portico surrounding the sanctuary, and the remains of a theater dating to the Hellenistic period.
Letoon Temple is the largest temple dedicated to Leto, Mother Of Artemis and Apollo. The temple of Letoon, located in the West, was built in the Peripteros style. This temple was built around the 4th century BC. an inscription believed to belong to the century and written in three languages (Greek, Aramaic and Likik) has been found and is on display in the Fethiye Museum. The inscription found shows that the altar, which was the National Sanctuary of Lycia in ancient times, eventually turned into an area where official documents were placed.
Of the structures still standing at Letoon, the one in the best condition is M.He. 2. it is a theater built for sacred ceremonies in the century. The theatre is built on the road from Xanthos to Letoon, allowing those who come from this road to come to the sanctuary by passing through the theatre. In the interior of the colonnaded galleries, which turn the North and west of the sanctuary, there are three remains of temples belonging to the Hellenistic period.
From the mosaic found in the temple in the East, it was understood that it belonged to the god Apollo. The original mosaic is currently on display in the Fethiye Museum and is a replica in Letoon. Of the other two temples, the smaller one belongs to Artemis and the larger one belongs to Leto. In the mosaic of the temple, dating from the Hellenistic period, Artemis ' Arrow and Sadak and Apollo's lyre are depicted. There is a semicircular pool from Roman times, a Byzantine church and cemeteries at the top of the theatre. In part of the sanctuary, excavation work has not yet been carried out.
The ancient city of Letoon, located 400-500 m from the center of Kumluova, within the borders of the District of Kumluova, the Seydikemer district of Muğla, is located on the Fethiye-Kas Highway, 60 km from Fethiye. Letoon, which can be reached by a 4 km road separated from Kinik on the Fethiye-Kas highway, is located in the village of Bozoluk. Don't forget to visit the ancient city of Xanthos, 6km north of Letoon.
Letoon Ancient City visit information Visiting Hours April October 15 / October 2 Summer Visit Opening Time: 09: 00-Closing Time: 19: 00 October April 3 / April 14 Winter Visit Opening Time: 08: 00-Closing Time: 17: 00 Day off: none
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