Rhodiapolis

Overview

Above the shining sea of greenhouses around Kumluca, a pine-covered hill rises from the coastal plain. On its top, stone buildings crowd so close together that hardly a gap is left between them, and a small theater looks out to the sea. This is Rhodiapolis, the city of Opramoas, the man who helped rebuild Lycia. With a guide, join our Rhodiapolis tour.

The Story of Rhodiapolis

To begin with, the name means the city of the Rhodians, because tradition says colonists from Rhodes founded it. In the Lycian League, it was a small member with a single vote, but it still minted its own coins and honored Athena Polias.

A city built on cisterns

Space on the hilltop was tight, so the builders packed their houses and public buildings closely together. Besides, they raised the terraces on cisterns, which held the city’s water and created flat ground to build on at the same time.

Opramoas, the Benefactor of Lycia

In the 2nd century AD, Rhodiapolis was home to Opramoas, one of the richest men of Lycia. After a great earthquake struck the region in the 2nd century AD, Opramoas gave large sums to many Lycian cities to repair the damage, and he paid for two temples in his own town.

The inscribed monument of Opramoas

In thanks, the Lycians covered the walls of his monument beside the theater with the record of his gifts and honors. Today its walls still carry sixty-four documents of his honors. For example, it was Opramoas who paid for the theater at Limyra and helped Pinara rise again.

What to See at Rhodiapolis

The theater

First, find the theater, whose seating dates back to the late Hellenistic age and is the oldest monument on the hill. From its top rows, look out over the plain to the sea.

The Large Baths

Next, go down to the Large Baths at the foot of the hill, built in the 2nd century. There was no room for them in the crowded city, so they stand below it, where water arrived with the most pressure. Their warm rooms had windows facing south to catch the sun.

Digging Rhodiapolis

First, Thomas Spratt found the city in 1842. After a forest fire in 2005, Akdeniz University began excavations in 2006 under Nevzat Çevik.

Tips for visiting Rhodiapolis

How to Visit Rhodiapolis

Rhodiapolis lies on a hill northwest of Kumluca in Antalya Province. We confirm access to Rhodiapolis and plan it with Arykanda or Olympos.

Then combine it with Limyra, the mountain city of Arykanda and the beach at Olympos.

The Theater and the Monument of Opramoas

Rhodiapolis stands on a hill near the village of Sarıcasu. With Gagai, Phaselis, Korydalla and Olympos, it was one of the few Rhodian colonies of this coast, although its coins, like those of Gagai, call its people Lycian. In the center, the small theater faces south, with seats for about 1,500 people in six wedges between seven stairways, and an orchestra 10.52 m (34.5 ft) across. Behind its stage building, to the southwest, stands the monument tomb of Opramoas, and its walls carry sixty-four documents of his official honors. Then, above the theater, a church keeps only its apse, and on the eastern edge of town a Roman bath follows the Anatolian bath-and-gymnasium plan.