Letoon Ancient City: Religious Center of Lycia

Letoon Ancient City: Religious Center of Lycia

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Letoon is the religious center of Lycia in ancient times. The ancient city of Letoon has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988 with Xanthos. Letoon, which was abandoned in the 7th century AD, is also part of the trekking/hiking route of the Lycian Way from Fethiye to Antalya.

Location of Letoon Ancient City

Letoon ancient city is located in the Seydikemer District of Mugla Province.

Buildings in Letoon Ancient City

In this sacred area, along with the temples of Leto, Apollo and Artemis, there is a monastery, a fountain and the ruins of the Roman Theater.

The temples in this sanctuary (Leto, Apollo and Artemis) are very important in history and they are based on a legend. According to the legend, the goddess Leto gives birth to her twin children Apollon and Artemis from the god Zeus on an island in the Aegean Sea. However, he escapes from the wrath of Hera, the wife of Zeus, and comes to Anatolia. When it comes to where the ancient city of Letoon is located, it wants to wash the children in the water. But the people who fear Goddess Hera don’t want Leto here. Leto gets angry and turns the people of the region into a frog.

The largest of the three temples in this area is the Temple of Leto, dedicated to Leto, mother of Apollo and Artemis. This temple was built in the style of peripteros. The temple of Apollo, built in Doric style, is less preserved than the temple of Leto. This temple is smaller with dimensions of 27.90 x 15.07 meters. The temple of Artemis is the smallest temple in the middle of both temples.

There is a fountain (Water source) at the southwest of the temples and a church on the eastern side. The ancient city of Letoon also has a large ancient theater, leaning against the slope of a hill.

How to Get to Letoon

The ancient city of Letoon can be reached via the Kaş-Fethiye highway. The city is 50 km away from Kaş. After departing from the direction of Antalya, 65 kilometers later, the town of Seydikemer is reached. After you have left here, you need to continue for another 4 kilometers. It is also possible to visit the Xanthos Ancient City by following the Xanthos signs a little further than the 70th km of the same road.