Xanthos

Photography enthusiasts attending the fourth leg of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Turkey Photo Safari took pictures of the ancient cities of Letoon and Xanthos in Muğla and Antalya.

Located close to the village of Kınık in Antalya province, the ancient city of Xanthos entered the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1988. French archaeologists led excavations at the site between 1952 and 2010. (Photos: Alamy)

The mosaics in the ancient city of Xanthos in the southern province of Antalya's Kaş district, are now unprotected. The magnificent mosaics had a water-resistant geotextile barrier during the time of the former president of excavations. But as the barrier eroded, the mosaics are now exposed to the elements of nature.

Works are almost completed in the UNESCO-listed ancient cities of Xanthos and Letoon, which will be reopened to visitors soon

The ancient city of Xanthos in the southern province of Antalya's Kaş district, known as the "city of sorrows," opens the door of a different world to its visitors both with its sad history and ruins that defy time. 

The Lycian Civilizations Museum, opened last year in the southern province of Antalya's Demre district, has been displaying artifacts indoors and outside.  

A total of 1009 artifacts unearthed during excavations in the Lycian League cities have been drawing local and foreign tourists to the region. 

Excavation work has started for the summer season at one of the six largest cities of the Lycian Union, the ancient city of Xanthos, located in the southern province of Antalya's Ka? district. 

The ancient site has entered the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List along with 15 other historical artifacts.

The Santa Claus Museum in Antalya's Demre is the most visited place by tourists, especially the French, in the whole region. It is followed by the ancient city of Myra In the first nine months of 2014, 2.6 million Turkish and foreign people visited the ancient sites in the southern province of Antalya. It is expected that this figure reached 2.8 million by the end of the year.