Aperlai (Siçak iskelesi)

Aperlai is in the Siçak Port on the Siçak Peninsula. You can reach here by boat from Kaş or Üçağiz. You can also drive from Apolloia in Kiliçli. From coins unearthed at this site, archaeologists date Aperlai to the fourth or fifth century B.C.. Aperlai was in the Lycian Union with Isinda, Simena and Apolloia, and it was the head of the union. City walls built in rectangular and polygonal techniques were fortified with towers placed at regular intervals. The city walls that surround a rectangular area form a magnificent view. Remains outside the walls were built in Byzantine times or later eras. The southern part of the wall was built in a polygonal technique, and this part has fallen into ruins even though it was fortified by two towers. It also has a gate that is the main entrance.

On the northwest corner, there is a church and on the southeast corner, there is a chapel and a building.

On the east of the wall, there are many sarcophagi, all bearing round, curved lids. Some of these are located between walls built in earlier times and the coast. This tells us that this area belonged to the city which was surrounded with walls. Today Aperlai’s dock and other structures of this dock are submerged underwater and some of them can be glimpsed beneath the sea.

İlhan Aksit's book "Işık Ulkesi Lycia" (Lycia, Country of Light) and web site of Ministry of Culture & Tourism was used as a source for this webpage.