Aytap, Ancient harbor ruins along Mediterranean coast in Antalya Province, Turkey.
Aytap is an archaeological site featuring ancient ruins scattered along the Mediterranean coast in Antalya Province. The remains include temples, administrative structures, a Byzantine church with surviving frescoes, and a necropolis containing numerous tombs of varying sizes and styles.
The settlement was founded in the 1st century when King Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Commagene established a city here. The community continued for centuries, minting its own coins during the reigns of multiple Roman emperors before gradually declining.
The necropolis contains monumental tombs alongside smaller graves with barrel vaults, each reflecting distinct social ranks and burial customs of the ancient Mediterranean world. Walking through them today reveals how communities honored their dead in different ways.
The site lies between the coastal towns of Alanya and Gazipasa and is best explored on foot. Sturdy footwear is essential since overgrown paths and sloping terrain require careful navigation to view the scattered structures and tombs.
Beneath the ruins lie traces of a sophisticated sewerage system connected to public baths that once served the residents. This underground infrastructure reveals the engineering knowledge and planning that the ancient community possessed.
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