Xanthos

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Details: Written by: Richard_McKie; Parent Category: Travel; Category: Middle East; Published: 25 December 2019; Hits: 18001

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The ancient city of Xanthos was on our way. This was once an important Lycian centre conquered by the Persians and then by Alexander the Great, after which it became Hellenised.
It was later occupied by the Romans and in due course became the seat of a Byzantine bishopric. After Constantinople fell to the Turks in the 15th century it declined and was eventually abandoned. Most of the ruins, including the theatre, are from the Roman/Byzantine period, although a small Greek temple from here is in the British Museum. The site is now under desultory restoration, no doubt with tourism in mind so we can expect a demand for the return of the temple.

The ruins of the ancient city of Xanthos - under restoration one stone at a time - Rome wasn't built in a day

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