ARYKANDA/ARİF

It is an ancient city in ruins located to the west of Antalya and north of Finike, in close proximity to the Arif village. The remains of Arykanda, which are worth a visit, are half an hour’s walk away. It is known that the name of the city in the Luwian/Etruscan language was “Arukawanda/Aruwawanda” meaning “People having an Altar”. Arykanda, which was an acropolis city, was, after the hegemonies of Lycia, Persia, Macedonia, Ptolemaios, Seleucia and Rhodes, subordinated to Rome in 43 A.D. After a great earthquake during the Byzantine epoch the city moved to the area known as Ortaçay. Today, the most important relic to survive from the ancient city of Arykanda is the theatre with 20 caveas, built directly upon the natural ground during the 2nd century A.D. Classical music concerts are organized at the theatre every year. In front of the theatre is an odeon with a portico, paved with mosaics on the floor, and to the west are the remains of a bouleterion, gymnasium and a Roman bathhouse. In the eastern necropolis of the city are Lycian sarcophagi and house-type tomb chambers embellished with friezes. The rock tombs lie to the west. The area is well-known for its Arykanda water spring.