Antiphellos (Kaş)

Very little remains of the ancient city of Antiphellos. In fact the only real remnant is the now completely refurbished theatre, which is rather small in comparison to other great theatres in Asia Minor. Luckily for me the theatre was right outside my hotel and a very short walk away. Many archaeologists have been appalled that the theatre has been completely restored to its former glory. In fact, when I arrived in Turkey I too was of the same opinion – that ancient remains should be left as they are – but by the time I left Turkey I had changed my opinion altogether – I do believe these ancient sites should be restored to their former glory, for it at least maintains their preservation for generations to come, who can at least learn about their ancestors. Of course, this kind of restoration can only happen with certain sites – I don’t believe a place like Stonehenge would benefit from reconstruction – and certainly the restoration of the Parthenon in Greece will make it one of the most stunning man-made features on the face of planet earth when it is finally completed.

Antiphellos is now named Kaş (pron. Kahsh), a small fishing town dwarfed by a huge mountainside that gives the town a unique feeling, as if it is the only place in the world. The town is peaceful, relaxing and the pace of life is such that one can feel the stress easing as soon you enter the town. And in my case it was another chance to take a breather from the manic trip that had so far been undertaken, so one whole day and two nights were reserved for relaxing and, for the most part, leaving the camera alone for a day. I think my camera needed a break more than I did!

In the Lycian language Kaş was called Habesos or Habesa, and then changed to Antiphellos. The latter name clearly has Greek origin, but the Lycian language, now extinct, was first in use in this small town that was once a city by ancient standards. In fact Habesos is one of the oldest Lycian cities as tombs have been found dating to the 4th Century BC, and inscriptions in the Lycian language suggest the city was founded in the 8th Century BC.

The modern town has pretty much covered over the ancient ruins, but among the streets and houses there are glimpses of the once flourishing Lycian city, which was founded clearly because of its perfect location next to the sea, and its defensive mountain wall behind it.

The Greeks took control of the city in the 4th Century BC, hence the name change, and it was probably at this time the theatre was built. This was also the time when Antiphellos expanded and became the most important city in the region. The harbour was used to transport goods in and out of Lycia, and the islands opposite – still owned by Greece today – were also important transport and trade links. Most of the trading seems to have been in the form of wood from the surrounding forests and, strangely, the most prominent of these products seems to have been sponges, as many of these were found lined up in rows during excavations. That seems like a rather unusual commodity to me, and also a rather strange way to conclude something so definite. I would be rather suspicious of that statement – finding a lot of sponges in one place doesn’t necessarily mean they were traded all over the ancient world.

The theatre itself was built using local limestone, has 26 rows of seats and may have held up to 4,000 spectators. The theatre stage is now completely missing, but the theatre is still used today after its restoration – another reason why restoring these ancient sites has immense benefit to the local population.

As with many other places the Romans took control of Antiphellos and it is at this point that my historical research seems to end, which is rather unusual – there is little mentioned that I can find.

I arrived in Kaş in the evening of 18 March 2015, stayed for one relaxing day on the 19th and then left again on the morning of the 20th March. The weather, as you can see from the photos, was absolutely glorious.

References:

Tor, Kemel Hakki. Lycia: Shiny territory in Anatolia. 2012, Ten Books, Antalya, Turkey

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/med/kas/

http://www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=204

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry=antiphellos

http://www.expo2016.org.tr/tarihimekanlar/EN/detay/antiphellos-kas-12