Day two, and my search for the ancient ruins of Turkey continued. This time, I decided to drive approximately 100 km south of Denizli to Kibyra, an impressive ancient Greek city in Turkey. And wow! How do so few people know about this place? Apparently, the tour buses haven’t discovered it yet. Luckily, I had a car, because Kibyra Turkey is definitely worth the drive and the detour.
And the entrance fee was only €1!
…
Kibyra – the ancient Greek city
Sitting high in the hills at approximately 1,300 metres above sea level, in Turkey’s Burdur Province, Kibyra is an archaeological site included on the UNESCO Tentative List. And it is both massive and incredibly impressive!
I spent almost two hours walking up and down the hills of this ancient Greek city. Even better, I had the entire site to myself, with no other tourists around. Therefore, I could take my time, enjoy the scenery and explore the ruins freely rather than following the designated paths found at many other archaeological sites.
You can read more about the history here. However, what I found particularly fascinating was how recently the extensive archaeological work began. Although the site was first documented in 1842, only limited excavations took place in 1988–89 and 2001–02. And the large-scale, systematic excavation and restoration did not begin until 2006! That’s amazing!
And there is still so much more to uncover! In 2021, archaeologists discovered 30 graves inside the city’s basilica-planned church. Amazing!
Originally I thought I would write about Kibyra together with the ancient city Aphrodisias, as I did see them on the same day. However, I have soo many great photos of ancient Kibyra, the ancient Greek city, I felt it deserved a blog by itself.
…
The Stadion of Kibyra
Imagine someone sitting in the same seat where I sat, see the photo, high above the stadium, watching the athletes compete while enjoying that incredible view. Stunning!
Apparently, it is one of the largest ancient stadiums discovered in Anatolia. However, this impressive structure is only one of the many reasons to explore Kibyra Turkey. This ancient Greek city has so much to offer.
Naturally, I had to go for a run along the stadium track! The last time I ran inside an ancient stadium was in Olympia, Greece, back in 2018. (Read my blog post here – Escaping the rain into Ancient Greece.)
…
Given the enormous size of Kibyra Turkey, make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes. I suppose the same advice applies when visiting most of the ancient sites and ruins in Turkey. However, Kibyra is a particularly large area to explore on foot.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the famous Medusa mosaic floor inside the Odeon. Apparently, it is stunning! At the time of my visit, the mosaic was covered for protection during most of the year and only opened to visitors for three months during summer.
What a shame! Perhaps I will get to see it on my next visit to this incredible ancient Greek city. Here is a photograph of the mosaic.
_______________________
And so…
And so, Kibyra Turkey is certainly a stunning place to visit. Hopefully, the excavations and restoration work will continue, revealing even more of its incredible architecture. But who works out where all the pieces belong? And how long does something like that take? Ancient stones are literally everywhere! Not to mention everything that might still be hidden beneath the ground. There are so many more pieces waiting to be discovered.
Personally, I find these scattered and unexplored ruins just as interesting as the structures that have already been uncovered. It is certainly an enormous project, but Kibyra, the ancient Greek city, is truly incredible. You must visit yourself!
So, to sum it all up, if you have the opportunity to visit Kibyra Turkey, I would certainly recommend it. This incredible ancient Greek city is well worth the detour. You could visit Kibyra during a road trip from Fethiye or even Antalya.
After all, you can’t explore Turkey without visiting Antalya. And I will be there very soon! xx
Are there really more ancient ruins to see in Turkey?
(post 172)
