Visiting Kaş: Watcher of the Spirit

“The longer I live, the more dreamlike life seems. There’s a disconnection over time, one I don’t understand. My recollections seem just as bright as living.” – Old Sean

The Sleeping Giant

After leaving Xanthos and Letoon, I took the seaside roads to the community of Kaş, a modern town which occupies the site of ancient Antiphellos.

Entering the town is a stunning treat. Light glimmers profoundly off of a light blue sea below. Reddish roofs, rambling in varying directions, nestle low among green yards. Narrow docks hosting sailing ships jut into the water with islands quiet and distant on the sea. A curving bay makes the world seem smaller, lovelier and brighter all at once.

While the views overlooking the sea are stellar, it’s worth turning the opposite direction as well. Uyuyan Dev, otherwise known as the Sleeping Giant is a mountain which looks like an immense, slumbering humanoid studded with layers of stone and trees. There are campsites in practically all directions, making the town feel like a college hiking trip more than anything else.

It’s almost humorous how quickly I fell in love with Kaş. There is something deeply comforting about the area. I could breathe it in from an overlook before I even entered town.

Bravo

The first thing I did upon entering the town limits was drive towards the seaside. There, I turned slightly to visit the Antiphellos Ancient City where a enduring amphitheater stayed standing.

Admittedly, upon spending enough time in Europe, I grew tired of visiting churches. Upon living in the Middle East, I grew reluctant to visit mosques. When exploring Asia, I stopped visiting giant Buddas.

When traveling the realm of Lycia, I’m growing a bit jaded at the idea of visiting Hellenistic and Roman outdoor amphitheaters.

But for now, I did visit the Antiphellos Theater, spending additional time hiking through the small trails and campsites. The theater stands at the entrance of a rather beautiful peninsula, allowing visitors to walk by places like İnceboğaz Çınar Beach, the pebbly Kaş Belediyesi Kadınlar Plajı, the locally notable Natalia Molchanova’s Monument (the world champion free-diver who held an enduring number of world records in the sport) and a gorgeous number of beautiful villas, hotels and bars.

It was here I stopped for a quick meal of delicious fish before turning back to explore town.

Horizons for the Dead

When I re-entered the main town, I made a detour to a rather unusual feature. In previous posts, I’ve mentioned the famed Lycian Carved Cliff Tombs. Kaş is home to a range of these. Often built over residential areas to allow ancestor homes to remain nearby, cliff tombs are a mainstay of Lycian culture. The rock-hewn tombs, some dating back to the 4th century BCE, are an enduring testament to the exceptional artistry and engineering prowess of the seafaring, stone-carving Lycians.

Lycian tombs drastically differ from Hellenistic traditions. Generally, the tombs blend in with existing cities and towns, demonstrating Lycia’s ties to eastern traditions ancestor-integration traditions. Meanwhile, in Hellenistic culture, the dead were buried outside of livable areas in separate grave spaces.

The ancient Lycians believed that their deceased ancestors played a critical role in their contemporary lives while preserving their connection to the Afterlife. The rock-hewn tombs (which were built in four distinct styles. Temple, House, Sarcophagus, Pillar) were designed to honor and protect the souls of the deceased. According to archeological studies, this respect allowed departed ancestors to maintain their status and wealth in the Afterlife.

Cliffside Blooms of the Cat Lord

Kaş has access to several such tombs, Lycia Rock Tombs, though they are easy to miss. The cliffs rise behind some normal, modern houses, nestled in rather dense foliage. Reaching the tombs is easy, but they’re somewhat difficult to spot. There is a residential road that leads to a stone staircase between houses with a yellow and black sign pointing upwards.

Depending on the season, the area may be surrounded by flowers. These stairs lead up to the first tomb, which can be looked inside. The stairs end here, but there are steep, rugged stone “steps” leading upwards to the left, which reaches another tomb. From here, there is a worn stone cliff that can be scaled to reach yet another few small tombs. One can follow the power cables that connect the light poles, and most of the tombs can be visited. There are another few tombs visible on the cliff from the road, but these are behind private residential properties and can only be seen, not walked to.

I spent considerable amounts of time clambering around the tombs with no company but a cat which had clearly claimed the area. The feline inadvertently led me up and down sloped, stone cliff faces, allowing me to discover more tombs than I would’ve found unguided.

Along those cliffs, framing flowers were beyond stunning and I often turned to quietly watch the town of Kaş below. It’s impossible to overstate how powerfully and gorgeously these blooming petals accented the view and immersion of the town and exploration experience.

Staggered Pedal

After my time on the cliffs and finished with another round of hiking, I descended into Kaş, attempting to drive the streets.

This turned out to be more frustrating than enlightening. The streets of Kaş are painfully cramped with cars parked in inconvenient places. The entire town has essentially turned into single-lane roads with plenty of sharp corners.

After visiting Kral Mezarı, the smallish town-square of Emin Erdem Myd, and the impressive overlook found at Çerçiler Parkı ve Kafeterya, I was ready to go.

Upwards Delving

The next leg of my drive would take me away from quiet coasts and stunning seas. I would be plunging back into the high mountains for a time.

It was my hope to make it to the town of Demre for the night. The following day, I planned to see the strange sights located there, including the St. Nicholas Church and the legendary Myra Ancient City.

So until then,

Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written April 10th, 2024

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