Myra is an ancient town in Lycia where the small town of Kale (Demre) is situated today in present day Antalya Province of Turkey. It was located on the river Myros (Demre Çay), in the fertile alluvial plain between Alaca Dağ, the Massikytos range and the Aegean Sea.
The rock-cut tombs of Lycia are a great example of ancient peoples' ingenuity leaving behind outstanding tombs that we can still admire today. In the ancient town of Myra in the Lycia region of Anatolia, modern day Turkey there are several spectacular ruins.
Among them we find the magnificent rock-cut tombs of the ancient Lycian necropolis. Two burial sites, the river necropolis and ocean necropolis, with frontages resembling classical temples, have been hewn from the cliffs towering above the town.
Most of the tombs appear like large houses from a distance, while some are in the shape of a temple.The tombs show the Lycians' use of wooden house architecture.Inside the tombs are human figures, depicting the deceased and their relatives
These places all have one thing in common: geography, for this type of tomb normally occurs in landscapes with deep ravines and steep cliffs.
The rock-cut tombs of Lycia are a great example of ancient peoples' ingenuity leaving behind outstanding tombs that we can still admire today. In the ancient town of Myra in the Lycia region of Anatolia, modern day Turkey there are several spectacular ruins.
Among them we find the magnificent rock-cut tombs of the ancient Lycian necropolis. Two burial sites, the river necropolis and ocean necropolis, with frontages resembling classical temples, have been hewn from the cliffs towering above the town.
The ancient city of Myra served as the central city of the Lycian Union. Many structures were built and renovated in the city with the help of wealthy Lycians. During the Byzantine era, it was one of the leading cities in terms of religion and administration. Earthquakes and floods led to that Myra began losing its importance in the 7th century and became a village in the 12th century.
The embossed and plain rock tombs are located on both sides of the Roman Theater.Most of the tombs appear like large houses from a distance, while some are in the shape of a temple.The tombs show the Lycians' use of wooden house architecture.Inside the tombs are human figures, depicting the deceased and their relatives
There are two different types of rock tombs. One type are just a simple chamber cut into the rock face like a room and the others are far more elaborate temple like rock tomb carvings. The rock tombs are the final resting places for the ancient kings of Kaunos and were carved into the limestone rock.
The Lycians believed that the souls of their dead would be transported from the tombs to the afterworld by a winged siren-like creature. This belief was the reason why they placed their tombs along the coast or at the top of cliffs when they were not integrated into the populated areas of the cities.
The entrance was sealed with a sliding stone door that ran sideways along a groove. Elaborate relief carving can bee seen on tombs of wealthy Lycians. Sometimes the carving depicts specific features of the deceased and the main events of the period.
In ancient times the Urartians had become famous for processing tombs and made great contributions to give shape to rock-cut tombs.
Still, we should not forget that rock-cut tombs are by no means not exclusive to Lycia. These marvelous tombs have been found in other places in the Mediterranean, in the Palestinian and Nabatean area, Cyrenaica, eastern Anatolian Urartu, in the Kurdish border area between Iran and Iraq, in the surroundings of Persian Persepolis, in Saudi Arabian Hegra and in Egyptian Beni Hassan.
These places all have one thing in common: geography, for this type of tomb normally occurs in landscapes with deep ravines and steep cliffs.
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