Cyaneae, Archaeological site in Antalya Province, Turkey
Cyaneae is an ancient settlement located on elevated terrain at around 719 meters (2,360 feet), with remains spread across the landscape. The site contains residential buildings, public structures, a theater, rock-cut tombs carved into hillsides, and scattered sarcophagi showing the scale of former habitation.
The settlement first arose during the first millennium before the common era as a Lycian town, then evolved as it came under new influences. Greek, Roman, and Byzantine peoples left their marks through architectural changes and reoccupation over the centuries.
The tombs here display inscriptions in Lycian and Greek, showing how different groups coexisted in this settlement. You can observe today how each community maintained its own burial customs and traditions within the same place.
The site sits at elevation and requires sturdy footwear for navigating uneven terrain where structures are scattered across the landscape. Bring water with you since there are no services on-site, and allow enough time to walk between different building clusters.
The site actually comprises three separate sections that served different purposes, each with its own features like a theater in one area, decorated tombs in another, and an inscribed sarcophagus in a third. This layout reveals how the ancient community was organized across the landscape.
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