Aperlae or Aperlai was an ancient city located on the southern coast of ancient Lycia, founded sometime in the 400s BC. Although it did not play a prominent role in political history, its remarkable lifespan of 1,300 years stands out. The city was situated on the foothills of the Sıçak Peninsula between Kaş and Kekova, nestled in a rugged terrain between the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.
The city was founded between the late 4th and early 3rd century BC and served as the head of a sympolity that included Simena, Isinda, and Apollonia. Its geographical position and name variations are documented in ancient texts, such as the Stadiasmus placing it 60 stadia west of Somena, while Claudius Ptolemy wrote Aperrae and Pliny wrote Apyrae. An inscription found by Charles Robert Cockerell bearing the ethnic name Ἀπερλειτων and coins of Gordian III with Ἀperraiton confirm the authenticity of the name.
The harsh local terrain made agriculture difficult, forcing the inhabitants to rely heavily on the sea. The local bay offered little protection during storms, and due to a lack of reliable fresh water sources, the town relied extensively on rainwater collected in numerous cisterns distributed across the site.
A striking feature of Aperlae is the vast accumulation of Murex snail shells. Covering 1,600 square meters in two parts of the town, these shells were utilized in building mortar and concrete, and large quantities were dumped into the sea. Investigations by teams from the University of Maryland and the Suna-Inan Kıraç Research Institute for Mediterranean Civilizations identified these as evidence of royal purple, or Tyrian dye, production—a costly pigment used by Roman nobles and later high-ranking Vatican clergy.
Despite lacking advanced deep-water port facilities or a breakwater, Aperlae maintained an affluent economy derived from the dye trade and maritime cabotage. The city boasted four churches, numerous tombstones, and robust fortifications. In the submerged district, three ceramic-lined vats served as holding tanks for live snails harvested by nets rather than by hand.
In ecclesiastical history, the bishopric of Aperlae was a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Myra within the Roman province of Lycia. It held a prominent position, appearing in fifth place in the Notitiae Episcopatuum composed under Byzantine Emperor Heraclius around 640 AD. Today, the Catholic Church lists Aperlae as a titular see.
Aperlae sustained its existence until the end of the 7th century AD, when the onset of Muslim conquests and coastal instability caused severe threats from pirates and Arab corsairs, leading to the abandonment of the city. Evidence of late repairs on a church indicates a brief period of occupation by squatters or stragglers, but the city was never resettled.
Over the centuries, earthquakes caused parts of the hillside settlement to slide into the sea. Today, visitors and researchers can observe submerged remains including a jetty, a breakwater, 14 main wall structures, 16 spaces, and scattered church blocks and chapel ruins, alongside land-based Hellenistic and Roman-Byzantine fortifications.
Wikimedia research dossier · Last checked: 2026-08-30 22:16:47
