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Antalya appears as a tourism city with a wide variety of touristic and natural beauties and many opportunities. Antalya, which has become a frequent destination for many local and foreign tourists, especially during the summer months, hosts a world of different beauty in each district. In this blog post, we will give information about Simena, located in Demre district of Antalya.
Simena is known for being an ancient small Lycian coastal city, now known as Kaleköy. The ancient city of Simena dates back to B.C. It is a strategic point that has been inhabited since the 4th century. The ruin that most vividly reflects this feature is the castle, which has remained intact until today. It is possible to watch the most perfect views of Kekova and its surroundings from here. Simena is one of the rare settlements in Turkey that can only be reached by sea.
Simena Ancient City, located within the Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area covering an area of 260 square kilometers, which was created to protect the natural, cultural and geographical values of Kekova Island and the surrounding coasts, is registered as a first-degree archaeological site.
Kekova, which gave its name to the region, is the island of 7.4 kilometers long, the closest point to the shore is 500 meters, right opposite Simena, and also includes Simena, Teimiussa (Üçağız), Aperlai (Sıcak) Pier, Akvaryum Bay, Gökkaya Bay. It is the general name given to the region. The northern shores of the island facing Simena, extending to a depth of 4-5 meters in the sea, are full of traces of the civilization that was partially submerged in the water during earthquakes in ancient times, half of which is in the water and the other half is outside, such as stone stairs, house ruins, pier ruins. Simena is located on the peninsula opposite Kekova Island. Üçağız, known as the port city of Teimiussa in ancient times and the first land entrance to the Kekova Region, was the safest corner protecting sailors against the strongest waves of the Mediterranean, located next to neighboring Simena. Between Kaleköy and Üçağız, it is possible to observe the ruins of roads and docks that have been submerged towards the shore among the small islets that were used as quarries, especially for sarcophagi.
Although the name of the Ancient City of Simena was first mentioned by Pilinius (1st century AD), as understood from the inscription written in Lycian script and the silver coin found in Aperlai, its history dates back to B.C. It dates back to the 4th century. The city was a member of a federation that included Apollonia and Isinda under the chairmanship of Aperlai. It was represented by the city of Aperlai in the Lycian union. It is understood that Simena lived as an independent city after the region joined the Roman Empire.
The first structure that stands out when approaching the shore is the ruins of the Roman bath complex, which is thought to have been built in 79 BC, with the inscription writing "Given as a gift to Emperor Titus by the people and council of Aperlai and other cities of the union". While reaching the castle from the beach with the help of a steep path and sometimes antique steps, two sarcophagi attract attention. One has a small exedra, the other has an inscription stating that it was dedicated to Mentor, son of Idargus. When you reach the castle, the first visible ruin is the theater, which is one of the important ruins of Simena, with 7 rows of seats and a capacity of 300 people, built by carving into the natural rock. Water cisterns, rock tombs and traces of a religious building, which was first used as a temple, then a church and finally a mosque, are among the other ruins of the castle. Lycian type sarcophagi, breakwaters and building ruins in the water on the shore can be easily seen in calm weather. To the northeast of the castle lies a large necropolis area consisting of sarcophagi and rock tombs. An inscription in Lycian language in one of the house-type tombs is a remarkable formation.
Archaeological findings and numismatic data obtained in and around the ancient city, where scientific studies carried out in 2002 with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism continue today, show that the shipwrecks in Kekova settlement and its surroundings had intense trade relations with all Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea civilizations in the Ancient Age.
Ruins
Clear information about the history of the city's settlement in ancient records is given in the Simena Castle research articles written by documentary director Tekin Gün. The ruins were represented in the Lycian Union together with Apollonia, Ishimda and Aperlai and were built on a rocky peninsula in the 4th century BC. It is thought that it may have been founded in the 4th century. Superficial investigations of the ruins and archaeological investigations of the submerged city reveal that the submerged harbor breakwater and its general view from the northeast (east) increase the possibility of a port city. The ancient settlement is expressed in four separate periods:
Hellenistic period city walls ruins
Ruined buildings from the Roman Period
Castle ruins from the Byzantine Period
The oldest traces of settlement from the Classical Period
In addition, there are ruined housing ruins on the rocky hill on the northern slope of the ancient city settlement, and the port district of the city appears to be under water due to earthquakes and has turned into an island. Many ancient ruins and harbor breakwaters are clearly visible under one meter of water. There are places for commercial activities on the island, large volume cisterns built to meet the water needs of ships docking at the shore, ruins of port operations and the bath inscription dated to the second half of the 1st century, located on the shore at the foot of the Medieval castle built on the acropolis walls, read: "The people and council of Aperlai "It was presented to Emperor Titus by the other cities of the Union." he writes. In the city Acropolis, there are rock tombs with Lycian inscriptions and sarcophagi submerged in water, ruined public buildings on the slopes of the Acropolis, and a small theater with traces of the Hellenistic period built within the ancient settlement.
