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 #9 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.