The King Tombs in Dalyan

Dalyan King Tombs

Among the many attractions of Dalyan, a simple stroll along the river that leads down to the sea and inland to Koycegiz Lake is surely among them? There are restaurants and bars along the river where you can stop for refreshments and gaze across the river. Over the river in the rock that looks down on the town are a group of six tombs carved into the rock. They have seen many changes since they were carved out some time around the 4th Century BC. This design was especially popular between 2nd Century BC and the 2nd Century AD. They feature in multiple brochure advertising and have featured in documentary films, even those that look to promote the whole of Turkey.

The largest of the tombs was never finished although history cannot tell us why. They represent some of the best examples of funeral architecture anywhere in the region. They provide evidence of burial customs back in the day when the nearby city of Kaunos (also spelt “Caunos”) was in its prime.

The facades are in the style of a temple with a pediment and columns in between the projecting side walls and the burial chamber itself inside a door. They are approximately square with the bodies laid on benches back in the day. In some of the tombs, there are also tables on which offering were placed on behalf of the deceased.

It was the Lycians who carved these tombs, people who were believed to have originated in Crete, fleeing during a time when they struggled against Minos during the 4th Century BC. However, there is evidence elsewhere that has been dated even earlier, suggesting that the Lycians were largely nomadic. Incidentally, they were absorbed into the empire Alexander the Great created.

If you want to go across the river to take a closer look, there are both rowing boats or a car ferry which will transport you to the side of the river where life is slower than Dalyan itself, as well as being more rural. You are no longer permitted to climb up to the tombs themselves but your journey is not wasted. The tombs merely scratch the surface when it comes to the ancient history of the region. Cross the river and find out more in the ancient city of Kaunos which is believed to have existed long before the tombs were carved out