Ölüdeniz and the Lycian Way — where the sea meets ancient rock tombs above a turquoise lagoon
Fethiye is a working harbour town in southwestern Turkey, gateway to the Turquoise Coast and the starting point for the Lycian Way — Turkey's premier long-distance walking trail (520km along the ancient kingdom of Lycia). The town itself was built on ancient Telmessos, and Lycian rock-cut tombs loom above the modern streets. Nearby Ölüdeniz (Dead Sea) is Turkey's most photographed location — a sheltered turquoise lagoon where paragliders from Babadağ Mountain land on the beach. The Tuesday market and the fish bazaar (serving breakfast plates in the morning) are essential stops.
Fethiye stands on the site of ancient Telmessos, the most important city of ancient Lycia — a unique Anatolian civilisation whose language remains only partially deciphered. The rock-cut tombs carved directly into the limestone cliffs above Fethiye (4th century BCE) are among the best-preserved Lycian funerary monuments; the Tomb of Amyntas is carved to resemble an Ionic temple facade. The modern town's name comes from Fettah Bey, a Turkish pilot who crashed near here in 1914 — the Ottoman town was renamed in his honour.