# Lycian rock tombs, Kaş > The Lycian rock tombs of Kaş are burial chambers of ancient Antiphellos, cut into the cliff above the north side of town, their façades carved to look like timber Lycian houses. They’re free and open around the clock, every day. It’s a 10–15-minute uphill walk from the harbour via Likya Caddesi and a steep flight of steps; allow about 30 minutes there. Web page: https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-rock-tombs - City: [Kaş](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas), Turkey - YesGo score: 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — no ticket, no gate - Opening hours: Always open — it’s a hillside, not a museum - Time needed: ≈ 30 minutes, plus a 10–15-minute climb from the harbour - Where: The cliff above Likya Caddesi, north side of Kaş (Andifli district) - Getting there: Up Uzun Çarşı from Republic Square, then along Likya Caddesi to the signed staircase - At night: Lonely Planet says the cliff tombs are floodlit after dark - Difficulty: Steep, shadeless steps; above the first tombs it’s a rock scramble - In Turkish: Kaya Mezarları — “rock tombs” - Coordinates: 36.20157, 29.64231 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — to visit any day, any hour — the tombs sit on an open hillside (source: Wikivoyage (Kaş); T—Zh travel guide to Kaş) - **Likya Caddesi** — the street at the foot of the cliff where the climb starts (source: Wikivoyage (Kaş); OpenStreetMap) - **Houses in stone** — the façades copy timber Lycian houses, with beam-ends above the door and a pediment (source: Küre Ansiklopedisi and Kültür Envanteri (Antiphellos); Tripster travel journal) - **Stone benches** — inside the chambers — rock-cut klinai the dead were laid on (source: Küre Ansiklopedisi (Antiphellos); Tripster travel journal) - **Over 100** — tombs counted at Antiphellos by the traveller Charles Fellows in 1840 (source: English Wikipedia (Antiphellus); MedGulets (Antiphellos)) - **Mostly gone** — for centuries locals reused the ancient tombs as building stone (source: English Wikipedia (Antiphellus); Küre Ansiklopedisi) - **Antiphellos** — the ancient name of Kaş — the harbour of the Lycian city of Phellos (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Wikivoyage) - **≈ 4th century BC** — when most Lycian rock tombs, and the Doric tomb of Kaş, were carved (source: English Wikipedia (Lycia; Antiphellus); MedGulets) - **Sleeping Giant** — the rocky ridge (Uyuyan Dev) above the tomb cliff (source: Wikivoyage (Kaş); T—Zh travel guide to Kaş) - **Family tombs** — each house-style tomb usually belonged to one family (source: T—Zh travel guide to Kaş; Tripster travel journal) ## Where are the rock tombs in Kaş? The tombs are carved into the limestone cliff that rises behind the north side of Kaş, right above the houses of the Andifli district. From the harbour you can pick them out as dark, square doorways in the pale rock. The way up starts on **Likya Caddesi**, the street that runs along the foot of the cliff. This isn’t a fenced archaeological site. There is no ticket office, no gate, no warden and no information boards — just a sign by the steps. That means you can come whenever you like, but nobody on site will explain what you’re looking at, so read the history below before you go. Kaş has other Lycian tombs too. The [Lion Tomb](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-lion-tomb) is a sarcophagus on a plinth in the shopping street; a separate Doric tomb with a relief of dancing girls stands behind the [Antiphellos Theatre](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/antiphellos-theatre); and odd tombs turn up on the Çukurbağ peninsula. > **Steep steps — and nothing safe beyond them** A staircase takes you to the first tombs, and that’s where most people should stop. Higher up, visitors scramble over bare limestone with no path or railing, and a slip here is serious. The cliff faces south with almost no shade: in summer go early or in the last hour of daylight, in proper shoes and with water, and be down before dark. ## How to get to the Kaş rock tombs 1. Start at Republic Square (Cumhuriyet Meydanı) by the harbour — the centre of Kaş and the starting point for any walk in town. 2. Walk up Uzun Çarşı, the cobbled shopping lane, past the Lion Tomb — 3–5 minutes uphill. 3. Keep climbing through the stepped lanes to Likya Caddesi, the street at the base of the cliff; you’ll see the tombs above the rooftops. Another 5–10 minutes. 4. On Likya Caddesi, look for the sign to the Lycian rock tombs (Kaya Mezarları) and a steep staircase — it’s easy to miss behind the shrubs. 5. Climb the steps to the first tombs, about 5 minutes. Don’t go further: there is no path. 6. Arriving by intercity bus? Get to the harbour first: from the old otogar in town it’s a walk; from the new terminal on the Demre road, take a dolmuş or a taxi. A taxi can also drop you on Likya Caddesi. 7. Head back down to the [Old Town](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-old-town) for dinner, or to the theatre for sunset. ## Are the rock tombs free? Yes. There is nothing to pay and no opening hours — the tombs are on an open hillside above a residential street. You don’t need cash, a museum pass or a booking. The only cost is the climb: about 15 minutes up from the harbour, the last part on steep, uneven steps. ## What are the Lycian rock tombs? They are burial chambers of **Antiphellos**, the ancient harbour town that modern Kaş is built over; it served the inland Lycian city of Phellos. The Lycians buried their dead high in the rock, and almost every ancient city along this coast has a cliff necropolis like this one. The tombs above Kaş are the **house type**. Masons carved the front of a timber Lycian house into the rock: projecting beam-ends, door frames, a lintel and sometimes a pediment. Behind the doorway is a small chamber with rock-cut benches (klinai) for the dead. Each tomb usually belonged to a single family. Our sources give no exact date for these particular tombs; most Lycian rock tombs, and the Doric tomb in Kaş itself, are dated to around the 4th century BC. When Charles Fellows passed through in 1840 he counted more than a hundred tombs at Antiphellos. Many have since vanished — for centuries people took the stone for building — and the survivors are mostly the ones cut straight into the cliff. ## What to look for - The house façades: spot the carved beam-ends and door frames — this is what Lycian timber houses looked like some 2,400 years ago. - The chambers: peer in to see the stone benches the dead were laid on. Don’t climb into doorways set high above the steps. - The view: red roofs, the harbour, the Çukurbağ peninsula and the Greek island of [Kastellorizo](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kastellorizo) on the horizon. - The cliff above: the Sleeping Giant ridge (Uyuyan Dev), with the coast road running along the top. - The view from below: from the harbour lanes the tombs read as a row of dark doorways — a good zoom shot. ## Is it worth the climb? Yes, if you’re fine with a steep staircase. For half an hour and no money you get Lycian tombs up close and one of the best views over Kaş and its harbour, all within 15 minutes of the waterfront. Skip it with bad knees, a buggy or in the midday heat — the cliff with its doorways looks great from the harbour anyway. And if you want a proper necropolis, make the trip to [Myra](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-myra), where dozens of house tombs crowd one cliff face. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Closed shoes with grip — the steps are uneven - [ ] Water — there’s hardly any shade - [ ] Early morning or the hour before sunset, not midday - [ ] Back down before dark — don’t count on lights on the steps - [ ] No scrambling above the first tombs - [ ] Next up: the Old Town or the theatre ## Rock tombs vs the Lion Tomb and Myra | | Rock tombs | Lion Tomb | Myra | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | House-style tombs in the cliff above town | 4th-century BC sarcophagus in the street | Big cliff necropolis and theatre | | Where | Above Likya Caddesi, Kaş | Uzun Çarşı, central Kaş | Demre, ≈ 1 hour by car | | Entry | Free | Free | Paid, ticket office at the gate | | Time needed | ≈ 30 min + the climb | 10–15 min | 1.5–2 h + the drive | | Effort | Steep staircase | Level street | Paths around the site | | Best time | Morning or before sunset | Morning or evening | Morning, before the heat and tour groups | Choose the cliff above Kaş for a view and a short walk, the Lion Tomb when you’re passing anyway, and Myra if Lycian tombs are worth half a day to you. ## Historic Kaş compared Every historic site in Kaş rated by YesGo. - [Kaş Lycian Rock Tombs](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-rock-tombs) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Lion Tomb](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-lion-tomb) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, no ticket - [Antiphellos Theatre](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/antiphellos-theatre) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Kastellorizo (Meis) Island](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kastellorizo) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Ferry ≈ €28–40 return - [Myra and St Nicholas Church, Demre](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-myra) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ≈ €13 Myra + €17 church - [Kekova Sunken City and Simena](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-kekova) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Boat priced by operators, castle €4 ## Ancient Kaş in an evening The harbour square, the sarcophagus in the shopping lane, up to the cliff tombs and sunset at the theatre. 1. [Kaş Old Town and Harbour](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-old-town) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Free 2. [Lion Tomb](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-lion-tomb) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, no ticket 3. [Kaş Lycian Rock Tombs](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/kas-rock-tombs) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 4. [Antiphellos Theatre](https://yesgo.io/turkey/kas/antiphellos-theatre) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free > **Best light: the hour before sunset** The cliff faces the harbour, so late in the day the limestone turns warm gold while the lights of Kaş come on below. Go up an hour before sunset, take your photos of the town, and start down while the steps are still light. ## Good to know Don’t mix these up with the rock tombs of Fethiye, Myra or Dalyan — Lycia is full of them. In Kaş, the rock tombs are in the cliff above Likya Caddesi; the Lion (King’s) Tomb is the sarcophagus on Uzun Çarşı; and the Doric tomb with its dancing girls stands on its own behind the Antiphellos Theatre. ## Tips - Combine the climb with the Lion Tomb — it’s on the same route, a little lower down. - Photograph the cliff from the harbour first — it makes it easier to see where you are once you’re up there. - Don’t sit on the doorway edges or touch the carving — the limestone crumbles. - Curious for more? Myra has the same house façades, only by the dozen. - After rain the steps are slippery — save the climb for another day. ## Questions ### Where are the rock tombs in Kaş? In the cliff above the north side of town, above Likya Caddesi — a 10–15-minute uphill walk from the harbour and Republic Square. ### How do you get to the Lycian rock tombs in Kaş? From Republic Square walk up Uzun Çarşı past the Lion Tomb, then through the stepped lanes to Likya Caddesi. A sign marks the steep staircase to the first tombs. ### Are the Kaş rock tombs free? Yes. They’re on an open hillside with no ticket office or gate. ### What are the opening hours? There are none — you can visit any time, any day. Go in daylight and come down before dark. ### How long does the visit take? About 30 minutes at the tombs, plus 10–15 minutes each way from the harbour. ### Are the tombs lit up at night? According to Lonely Planet, yes — the cliff tombs are floodlit and visible from town after dark. Don’t try the climb in the dark. ### Can you go inside the tombs? You can look into the lower chambers. Climbing into high doorways or further up the rock is dangerous — there’s no path. ### Is the climb OK for kids? For school-age children with an adult close by, yes. It’s not possible with a buggy or a toddler in arms. ### Is it worth climbing up to the rock tombs? Yes, if a steep staircase doesn’t put you off: it’s free, takes half an hour and gives the best view of Kaş. In the heat or with bad knees, enjoy the view from below. ## How we checked There is no official page for the tombs: they are on an open hillside with no ticket office, so no row is marked “official”. Free access is confirmed by Wikivoyage and T—Zh; the street at the foot of the cliff by Wikivoyage and OpenStreetMap; the house-type façades and benches inside by the Turkish Küre encyclopedia and the Tripster journal. We found no published date for these particular tombs, so we give the usual dating for Lycian rock tombs in general. Floodlighting is mentioned only by Lonely Planet, and the walking route and times are worked out from the map, Trekopedia and Wikivoyage — those rows are marked “verifying”. Only English Wikipedia mentions a tomb with both Lycian and Latin inscriptions, so we leave it out. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Antiphellus — rock tombs in the cliffs above town, Fellows’s 1840 count, tombs reused as building stone, the Doric tomb - English Wikipedia: Lycia — dating of Lycian rock tombs - Küre Ansiklopedisi and Kültür Envanteri: Antiphellos — house-type tombs II–IV, klinai, Doric tomb I - Wikivoyage: Kaş — tombs in the cliffs behind town, access from Likya Cd, the Sleeping Giant, bus stations - Tripster travel journal: Kaş guide — tombs shaped like Lycian houses, stone benches inside - T—Zh: sights of Kaş — free and open around the clock, family tombs, the Sleeping Giant - MedGulets: Antiphellos — Fellows’s count, date of the Doric tomb - Lonely Planet: Rock Tombs — floodlighting at night - Trekopedia (Lycian Way): Rock tombs along cliff face in Kaş — many steps and a steep climb - OpenStreetMap and Wikidata Q139435569 — position of the tombs above Likya Caddesi --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.