Termessos Ancient City is one of the best-preserved ancient cities of Turkey, lying just 30 kilometres away from Antalya. It was once a Pisidian city, built at a height of 1050 meters in the Taurus Mountains. The city was eventually abandoned when an earthquake destroyed the water supply aqueducts. Another notable event in Termessos was that Alexander the Great attempted to raid the city in 333BC, surrounding the ancient city but because of its mountainous location, he failed. Alexander instead went to siege the city of Sagalassos.
This ancient city now lies in its own national park, camouflaged by wild plants and dense pine forests. Give yourself a couple of hours to explore the area and admire the extraordinary ruins. Also, wear sturdy shoes as the hike up might take most of your energy away from exploring the ruins the fullest. Once up you can make your way down the King’s Road where you can see the city walls standing tall and with their original mouldings. From there you will first see the ruins of a baths complex, a gymnasium and the theatre. This particular one has one of the best locations, with the mountain reaching out from behind and a steep gorge dropping at it’s right. This Greek-style theatre has space for about 4200 people. Other ruins worth exploring are the agora, a Corinthian Temple, an odeon, the fire tower and a few other temples dedicated to Greek Gods.
Other magnificent ancient cities of Lycia that vacationers go to include Arykanda Ancient City, Ariassos Ancient City and Perge Ancient City.