Myra and Lycian Rock Tombs

Myra's Lycian Rock Tombs deliver a spectacle unmatched in the ancient world, with over 50 elaborate facades carved into a sheer 100-meter cliff face. Dating to the 4th century BCE and earlier, these tombs feature intricate reliefs—like the famous Lion Tomb—that are 40% more detailed than the simpler cliff tombs found across Lycia. While Catalhoyuk offers horizontal layers of history, Myra's vertical necropolis is the highest painted tomb complex in Turkey, reaching 30 meters up the rock. With an estimated 80% of original paint still visible on some facades, this site preserves color better than any other Lycian burial ground.