The Legend of Phaselis

The foundation of the ancient city of Phaselis points precisely to the year 690 BC. Established as a colony by the Rhodians, the city gained the status of the most important harbor city of eastern Lycia due to its strategic geographical position.

From its establishment, it became a vital center of commerce between Greece, Asia, Egypt, and Phoenicia. It distinguished itself by possessing three main harbors: one in the northern part of the peninsula, another in the northeast, and the third on the southwestern coast.

In ancient times, harbors held a sacred significance. According to tradition and oral practices, sailors would place flowers, honeycombs, incense, and various spices into clay vessels and cast them into the bay of Phaselis to show their gratitude to the gods.

Changing hands throughout history, the city fell under the rule of the Persians in the 5th century BC, and later under Mausolus, the Satrap of Caria, and Pericles, the king of the neighboring city of Limyra. One of its most colorful moments was welcoming Alexander the Great with a golden crown in 333 BC.

Historical records and traditions note that the chief goddess of the city was Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom. It is believed that the Temple of Athena, which has not yet been discovered, lies beneath the wooded acropolis hill.

Additionally, as a legendary motif, it was recounted that the spear of Achilles was exhibited in the Temple of Athena at Phaselis. Such mythological elements reinforced the city's religious and cultural prominence in antiquity.

In the 1st century BC, the city suffered from the constant threat of pirates alongside neighboring Olympos, falling briefly under the control of the pirate Zekenites until his defeat in 77 or 76 BC by the Roman commander Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus. Its absorption into Roman rule in 43 BC marked the beginning of extensive reconstruction.

Among the most monumental structures surviving today are the aqueducts that supplied water to the city. Bringing water from a spring on the northern hill, these structures were connected via water canals between the town center and a 70-meter-high plateau.

The ruins of large and small baths located in the city square provide concrete insights into the advanced heating systems of the Roman period. Furthermore, the Hadrian Waterway Gate rises at the southern end of the main street.

During the Byzantine era, Phaselis became a Christian bishopric and a suffragan see of Myra, with Bishop Fronto participating in the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD.

Over time, ongoing pirate threats, attacks by Arab ships, and progressive impoverishment in the 11th century caused the harbor to lose its significance. As the Seljuqs concentrated their ports on Alanya and Antalya, Phaselis ceased to function as a port.

Today, situated within the Olympos Bey Mountains National Park, Phaselis welcomes visitors amidst pine and cedar forests. It is also home to a unique legume species, "Lathyrus phaselitanus," which grows exclusively within this archaeological site and blooms in April and May.

Visitors today can walk among the ruins of the Northern Harbour, the Battle Harbour, and the Protected Harbour, stroll down the 24-meter-wide ancient street, and trace the echoes of the past while swimming in the crystal waters.