The ancient city of Etenna first appears in the historical record through Polybius, who documented that in 218 BC, the people of Etenna—described as living in the highlands of Pisidia above Side—provided 8,000 heavy-armed hoplites to assist the Seleucid usurper Achaeus. Initially reckoned by ancient authors as belonging to Pisidia, the settlement was later incorporated into the late Roman province of Pamphylia Prima. Perched 900 meters above sea level amid pine forests north of Manavgat, this acropolis city is locally known as "Dedekalesi" or Grandfather's Castle.
The exact identity and location of the city were long debated among scholars; Ruge classified Etenna as a Pamphylian city, while Aulock noted it as a prominent Pisidian mint following Selge. A newly discovered inscription published in 1984 definitively confirmed the name of the historic site as Etenna. The presence of Classical Greek pottery fragments, which are rare elsewhere inland, alongside locally minted silver and bronze coins, provides tangible archaeological proof of the city's ancient identity.
Etenna formed a strategic stop along the ancient Side-Kesik Beli Road System, which connected the coastal port city of Side to Inner Anatolia. This historical route started in Side, crossed the Naras Bridge, reached the ancient city of Seleuceia above the village of B.Şıhlar, passed through Etenna at Sırtköy, and continued via Çaltılı, Kesik Beli, and the Gembos Plain toward Beyşehir. The geographical position of the city served as a vital bridge linking the coastal territories with the inland plateaus.
The acropolis area, locally called Dedekalesi, displays distinct Pisidian characteristics rather than typical coastal Pamphylian features. Although these ruins on the steep hillslope have not yet undergone systematic archaeological excavation, they preserve the traces of defensive city walls, a roofed cistern, rock-cut tombs, and ancient baths. Toward the southern end of the site stands a heron, a monumentalized tomb erected to honor a revered or deified individual.
Moving east from the agora area, right against the base of the city walls, lies a rectangular basilica dating from the Byzantine period, which also functioned as a law court. Alongside this monumental structure, the site preserves the remains of a second basilica and a church. These architectural remnants indicate that Etenna continued to maintain its administrative and religious importance well into the late Roman and Byzantine eras.
Following antiquity, Etenna maintained its presence within Christian ecclesiastical history as a suffragan bishopric dependent on the metropolitan see of Side, the capital of Pamphylia Secunda. Bishops representing Etenna participated in several ecumenical councils: Troilus attended the First Council of Constantinople in 381, Eutropius was present at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Eudoxius took part in the Council of Chalcedon in 451, Ioannes attended the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, and Petrus joined the Photian Council of Constantinople in 879.
Although no longer a residential bishopric, Etenna continues to be listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Among the prelates holding the titular bishopric of Etenna were Francis Xavier Ford, who was later martyred for his faith, James Byrne, Thomas Holland, and Henri-Louis-Marie Mazerat. While some scholars equated the town and bishopric of Cotenna with Etenna, official ecclesiastical registers such as the Notitiae Episcopatuum list them separately side by side.
Today, Etenna rests within the boundaries of Sırtköy in the Manavgat district of Antalya Province, shrouded by pine forests. Situated on a steep hillside 250 to 500 meters north of the modern village, these quiet, unexcavated ruins—featuring city walls, rock tombs, basilicas, and cisterns—continue to serve as a mysterious mountain destination for travelers seeking the hidden layers of the past.
Wikimedia research dossier · Last checked: 2026-09-09 15:41:30
