• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • BY COUNTRY
    • WEST EUROPE
      • Belgium
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Switzerland
      • Wales
    • NORTH EUROPE
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • SOUTH EUROPE
      • Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Holy See
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
    • EAST EUROPE
      • Austria
      • Belarus
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Serbia
    • NORTH ASIA
      • China
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Mongolia
      • North Korea
      • Tajikistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • SOUTH ASIA
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Myanmar
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • Antigua & Barbuda
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • AFRICA
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
    • OCEANIA
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
  • MOST POPULAR
    • The world’s oldest backpacker
    • Orangutans in Borneo
    • The need for speed
    • Trying to get out of the slum
    • The lake swamped with tourism
    • Journey into Dreamland
    • The village where life begins again
    • Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
    • Making the perfect gin and tonic
  • UNESCO

Tombs of Fethiye

November 1, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 31 Comments

ANCIENT HISTORY

Fethiye, Turkey

“Its not the same as it used to be,” the woman tells me as she sucks on a cigarette.

She takes a sip of her raki, the traditional Turkish spirit, and continues.

“I’ve been here for 25 years now and Fethiye has changed,” she pauses, “…a lot”.

A middle-aged Brit, she’d invited me to join her and her friend after spotting me eating alone. It turns out she knows a lot about this town.

Fethiye Tombs, Lycian Tombs, Turkey

It’s always been popular with tourists – no great surprise when you consider its position on the water in southern Turkey.

Daily boat tours take visitors cruising around the nearby islands, a ferry provides a direct connection to some of the Greek islands, and it’s an easy base for day trips to some of the natural and cultural beauties of the region.

“But the all-inclusive resorts are killing the town,” I’m told.

“There are less people coming in and spending their money and the community is suffering.”

Fethiye Tombs, Lycian Tombs, Turkey

I’m not sure what to make of the woman’s statement. She’s got a tough exterior and I imagine it’s more than just an act.

The way she looks at me shows she doesn’t suffer fools – harsh but fair might be the best description if she was a headmistress.

But she runs a local bar so I think she’s more used to disciplining unruly drunks than misbehaving schoolgirls.

Any claims that the town is suffering from a lack of business is hard to believe. Perhaps numbers are down – I’m not really in a position to judge – but there certainly seem to be plenty of people around the harbour area of Fethiye.

Still, it’s always hard to escape the sense of death here. I’ll explain why…

The Lycian tombs in Fethiye

It’s the tombs – the enormous resting places of the Lycians. Carved into the side of the cliff overlooking the city, they never let you forget about the history of Fethiye.

During the day, the sun burns down on them and they glow orange above your head. In the evenings, floodlights give them a bright luminosity that draws your eye whenever in sight.

Fethiye Tombs, Lycian Tombs, Turkey

The tombs were built in about 350 BC by the Lycians, a group of people who lived in this region of Turkey thousands of years ago.

>> Read my story about the Lycians <<

We don’t know much about them because there aren’t extensive records of their era. What is clear, though, is that they liked to give their dead a lovely view in the afterlife.

Climbing to the top of the cliffs to see the tombs is worthwhile, not just to get up close to the ancient crypts, but because of the opportunity to see across Fethiye and the water.

The city would be obviously be unrecognisable to the Lycians who once buried their dead here. And even for the woman at the restaurant, the vista would’ve changed in the 25 years since she first arrived from across the waters.

Fethiye Tombs, Lycian Tombs, Turkey

But the beauty of this location on the Turkish coast is eternal. The same views and natural splendour the ancient people saw is still here today.

Yes, Fethiye may be changing in the eyes of some of the locals. But for someone who has no available comparison, it’s a wonderful place to spend a few days.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN FETHIYE

You’ll find a lot of accommodation along the coast and in the blocks back towards the centre of town.

BACKPACKER

For a fun hostel that’s welcoming of all types of travellers, I would recommend Chillsteps.

BUDGET

You’ll often get great deals for the rooms at the lovely Infinity Exclusive City Hotel.

BOUTIQUE

For something a bit special, have a look at Ece Hotel Sovalye Island just off the coast of Fethiye.

LUXURY

And there are some beautiful luxury hotels but I think one of the best is Yacht Classic Hotel.

Turkey Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TURKEY?

To help you plan your trip to Turkey:

  • What you need to know about the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia
  • Visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul
  • Why this is an important part of Istanbul’s World Heritage Site
  • The beautiful travertines that are worth the visit
  • The City of Love: Is this Turkey’s best ruins site?
  • The museum at Bodrum that takes you under the water
  • Why the Lycians were such an important part of Turkey’s history
  • See the Lycian tombs from the centre of Fethiye
  • Saklikent Gorge offers the perfect natural adventure
  • How to make (and eat) Turkish Gozleme

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Turkey, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Turkey.

You could consider:

  • The best of Turkey (8 days)
  • Turkey Multisport (10 days)
  • Absolute Turkey (15 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. D.J. - The World of Deej |

    September 12, 2012 at 6:19 am

    Reply

    Great stuff…sad to see a town so devastated by all of the new resorts, and such great history being missed by so many…

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:20 pm

      Reply

      I wouldn’t want to say that the town has been devastated – it’s still a vibrant place with a lot going on. But there does seem to have been a shift in the way tourism affects the place.

  2. Natalie |

    September 12, 2012 at 11:53 am

    Reply

    I never made it up to the tombs. I was about a month into my tour when I went to Fethiye and think I was burnt out. The conversation that you had with the expat woman is being repeated all over the coastal resorts of Turkey. The Turkish government is trying to increase tourism and they think the way to do it is by building all inclusive hotels.

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:21 pm

      Reply

      The inclusive hotel idea is an interesting (and probably controversial) one. It may bring people to Turkey and get some money coming into the national economy – but it means people don’t spend money in the local communities and it’s the small businesses that suffer.

  3. Turkey's For Life |

    September 12, 2012 at 4:30 pm

    Reply

    We love going up to the rock tombs in the close season when the air is cooler and you see everything so clearly. Great photos.

    Fethiye is definitely changing – it’s growing into a large town/small city. I’m not too sure about the all-inclusive reasoning, however. Fethiye itself only has two all-inclusive hotels, both of which have been around for a long time. One of them is really close to town and ferries many of its hotel guests into the centre by boat. There is an all-inclusive problem in Turkey but it’s yet to reach Fethiye, itself – and let’s hope it won’t.
    Tourism is changing in the town because foreign tourists are choosing to stay in surrounding resorts like Ölü Deniz. There aren’t many hotels to choose from actually in the town. That’s the problem.
    There are now a lot more Turkish tourists coming to Fethiye, so yes, it’s not the same as it used to be but that’s also no bad thing.
    I could go on and on here because there are so many issues around tourism in our town, but I’ll not hog your site and bore you with the details. 😉
    Julia

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:25 pm

      Reply

      Thanks for the insight from someone who lives in Fethiye! The comments from the woman I met obviously only represent one business-owner’s view so I’m sure there are many other theories on what is happening (and whether it’s good or bad). I guess the tourism industry is always going to change in towns and cities all across the world. The key is probably to just make sure the community is getting its fair share.
      And you’re right about there not being many hotels. I stayed at a nice small family run place, but there didn’t seem to be a lot of options.

  4. OutsideTheGuidebook |

    September 12, 2012 at 6:03 pm

    Reply

    I was in Fethiye this June Michael. Covered a lot from there in my videos but not this! Always used to turn back from my boat cruises and watch the Tombs (didn’t know they were actual Tombs!) from the distance. Good work mate!

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:27 pm

      Reply

      The tombs are hard to miss but not necessarily particularly inviting unless you make the effort to wander up and check them out. Glad you made it to Fethiye and enjoyed it – it’s a great place to do some exploring of Turkey.

  5. Cam |

    September 13, 2012 at 8:22 am

    Reply

    Great read and some great photos. What an interesting place. Living in Canada, it’s hard to wrap my head around how old that part of the world is. Imagine, living beside well-preserved tombs that have been around for over 1000 years?!

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:29 pm

      Reply

      It’s the same for me as an Aussie. And these ones have been around for thousands, not just one thousand. It’s insane!

  6. Spanish Translator @latinAbroad |

    September 14, 2012 at 4:04 am

    Reply

    I can’t wait to finally make it to Turkey. I was supposed to go sailing in Fethiye back in 2008… but tenacity engagement breakup prevented me from doing so. Darn! but one day.. 😉

    – Maria Alexandra

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 14, 2012 at 8:30 pm

      Reply

      I’m sure you’ll get there one day. And I’m sure you’ll love it as much as are hoping to. It’s a beautiful place.

  7. Jade Johnston - OurOyster.com |

    September 15, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Reply

    This looks like a really interesting place – there are so many places in Turkey I would like to visit

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 20, 2012 at 2:07 am

      Reply

      Fethiye is definitely worth stopping at – if only for the ease of access to other things nearby (although it’s a nice place in itself).

  8. Adela @ FourJandals |

    September 16, 2012 at 6:43 pm

    Reply

    Great photos of the tombs, we were there earlier in the year and found them really impressive and also a bit creepy! It’s a shame the town is not as busy as it used to be as it is a great spot. Although I will admit we only went there as that was where our island cruise started from.

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 20, 2012 at 2:08 am

      Reply

      The tombs are a bit creepy. It’s weird the way they just hang above the town the whole time…

  9. Angela |

    September 16, 2012 at 10:45 pm

    Reply

    Those tombs look a little like chapels of rich families in christian cemeteries, I’m sure they also belong to wealthy people. Interesting to know how their cult saw death, it reminds me of Egyptian cult, taking care of the tomb to make sure the dead had a proper afterlife.

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 20, 2012 at 2:11 am

      Reply

      I always find it a bit strange that the dead are given such treatment after they pass away. I wonder if they had the same in life.

  10. Laurence |

    September 17, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    Reply

    Always seems odd to me that people spend so much time and effort looking after the dead. Who probably don’t appreciate it as much as they’d think.

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 20, 2012 at 2:15 am

      Reply

      I know! Why can’t they spend that much time looking after people while they’re alive!

  11. Elmer Cruz |

    September 18, 2012 at 10:03 am

    Reply

    Your story is an example of how we should manage change and travelers’ responsibility to communicate and be part of conserving cultural artifacts in our stories. Loved the photos!

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 20, 2012 at 2:21 am

      Reply

      Thanks for that. I think it’s a really important responsibility.

  12. Jools |

    October 4, 2012 at 7:11 pm

    Reply

    A good description of this wonderful town. Thank you

    • Michael Turtle |

      October 7, 2012 at 11:09 am

      Reply

      Thanks for that. It’s hard to put into words how beautiful the place is, but I tried…

  13. Johanna Bradley |

    November 2, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Reply

    I honeymooned in Fethiye 23 years ago and haven’t been back, so have no idea if it’s changed. Where hasn’t? It was our second week having spent the first on a gulet cruise. Sailing along that shoreline and between those islands is one of the most memorable periods in my life. Fethiye suffered for me in that we did the gulet first, but I wish it well. Turkey’s a beautiful country.

    • Michael Turtle |

      November 2, 2012 at 5:33 pm

      Reply

      You’re right – everywhere changes. It’s still a beautiful part of the country and there’s no denying that! I hope you manage to get back there someday and see it again for yourself. Happy 23rd anniversary? 🙂

  14. Gezi Rehberi |

    May 9, 2013 at 7:13 pm

    Reply

    Fethiye is one of the best holiday destiantaion in Turkey, where I am from. You can see tons of story on this land, most are not famous, but actually they are almost unique wonders, just stay there in slience.

    • Michael Turtle |

      May 11, 2013 at 3:39 am

      Reply

      You come from a very beautiful part of the world! I can see why Fethiye is so popular for holidays… and there’s heaps to do in the region around it too.

  15. Karina |

    August 7, 2013 at 4:53 pm

    Reply

    Hi Michael
    I am writing an article about the Lycian tombs and the Dalyan river, and I really found your article inspiring and I wan’t to say that I think you are a amazing writer. I hope to be as good a writer as you are one day. You really inspired me with your articles.

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 30, 2013 at 8:23 am

      Reply

      Thank you so much, Karina. That’s very kind of you to say so. What is the focus of your article about the Lycian tombs? I found the whole civilisation to be fascinating!

  16. Birdenfilmizle |

    September 17, 2016 at 8:45 am

    Reply

    Thank you for your valuable shares. You need to know the value of such sites. Because they have given a clear labor .

Primary Sidebar

This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

Want Occasional Updates?

Sign up to be the first to hear the latest about the adventures of Time Travel Turtle. You'll also get access to special offers and exclusive news.
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Search

  • PRIVACY POLICY