The ancient site of Letoon lies 4 km south of Xanthos and was the leading Lycian religious center. The principal deities of ancient Lycia were Leto and her twin offspring, Artemis and Apollo. Letoon was a sacred cult center and venue for Lycian national festivals, administered by Xanthos rather than a city in its own right. It was also the assembly place for the Lycian League.
Babakale is a small village, which lies on the south-western tip of Troad, at the foot of an Ottoman fortress. You can get to the village only via a winding road that winds picturesquely among rocks formations and forested areas. The difficulties of the travel are soon rewarded with the views of the Aegean Sea, extending from the eighteenth-century fortifications. Babakale village has an extraordinary location at Cape Baba (tr. Bababurnu). This cape is the westernmost point of Asia Minor, and consequently - the whole of Asia. Its location is marked by a lighthouse, standing on the cliff above the sea.
The ancient site of Tlos is situated at the modern village of Yaka, 42 km east of Fethiye, and is a major tourist site located on a strategic hilltop in the upper Xanthus River valley. The site is dominated by its impressive ancient acropolis, a rocky outcrop rising from a plateau with steep cliffs covered with well-preserved rock-cut tombs. On top of the acropolis are the remains of an 19th century Ottoman citadel.
For thousands of years, the tale of Troy sung by Homer stimulated the imagination of adventurers and lovers of Greek myths. Even today many travelers, bearing in mind the first lines of the Iliad, direct their steps in the direction of Troy, located in the region of Marmara Sea in the north-western part of Turkey. However, many of them will be utterly disappointed. Unfortunately, the remains of the once magnificent fortress of King Priam do not have much to offer the tourists, compared with the impressive streets of ancient Ephesus, a great theater of Aspendos, or a spectacular stadium of Aphrodisias. Therefore, when visiting Troy, it is best to keep in mind the magic of the mythical place, praised by Homer, and not the current state of its ruins.
