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All images © by Roberto Piperno, owner of the domain. Write to romapip@quipo.it. Text edited by Rosamie Moore.
Page added in May 2008.


- Simena
(theatrical masks at Myra)


The ruins of the ancient Lycian town of Simena have become very popular among the many holidaymakers who rent a yacht for a short cruise along the coast between Fethiye and Andriake.

General view

Simena was located on a hill and on a nearby islet: this part of the town, owing to the seismic lowering of the land, is now under a few feet of water.

Fortress and theatre

The acropolis of ancient Simena was turned into a fortress by the Byzantines when the coasts of Lycia were subject to Arab raids. Later on the site became (most likely) an outpost of the Knights of Rhodes, whose possessions included the nearby island of Castelrosso. The ancient acropolis had a very small theatre cut into the rock.

View of the yacht mooring point from the fortress

Very little is left of the medieval fortress and most of the walls and in particular their battlements are the result of a modern restoration aimed at making the site more evocative.

View of the necropolis from the fortress

The ridge of a hill to the east of the fortress is the site of a vast necropolis with many free-standing "Gothic" Lycian sarcophagi.

Free-standing sarcophagi

A sarcophagus in the lower part of Simena has become the symbol of the town because it partly emerges from the water; bathers and canoeists enjoy being photographed next to it. Archaeologists have studied the boreholes made by marine molluscs on its surface in order to determine the bradyseism of the area (gradual uplift or descent of the Earth's surface due to seismic activity).

View of the strait between Simena and Kekova Island

Simena was protected from Neptune's wrath by a long and thin island (Caravola), which is today known as Kekova, a name given also to the mainland opposite the island.

Introductory page
Priene
Miletus
Didyma
Iasos
Euromos
Milas
Kaunos
Telmessos
Tlos
Xanthos
Letoon
Patara
Antiphellos
Myra
Phaselis
Termessos
Attalia (Antalya)
Perge
Aspendos
Side
Map of Turkey with all the locations covered in this website



SEE THESE OTHER EXHIBITIONS (for a full list see my detailed index).