Lycian settlement on the slopes above Üçağız bay, where the Üçağız–Kapaklı path threads between finely built house walls, doorframes and lintels still standing on their terraces. Some thirty sarcophagi with ogival Lycian lids stand among the olive groves, and the rock-cut Hoyran mausoleum above carries reliefs and four inscriptions in the Lycian language. Villagers still farm between the tombs, with the sea glittering far below.
Highlights
- Some thirty ogival-lidded sarcophagi standing among working olive groves
- The rock-cut Hoyran mausoleum with reliefs and four Lycian inscriptions
- House walls, doorframes and lintels still standing on their terraces
- Graves built like houses — same cut stone, same view over the sea
- The Kekova roadstead glittering far below the terraces
At a glance
| Period | Lycian / Byzantine |
|---|---|
| Stage | 13 — Üçağız to Andriake/Demre |
Take care
- Uneven stone and thorny scrub hide underfoot in the terraces
- The Hoyran tomb ledges are unfenced
- Sun and water discipline matter on this stretch of coast path
History
Most of what stands at Istlada was raised in Hellenistic and Roman times, when the hillside prospered as a farming community in the orbit of Myra; tomb inscriptions of the imperial period name Myran citizens, though the village may have governed itself earlier. Hoyran on the ridge above spans a longer arc, from the Lycian dynastic age into Byzantine times. Neither site has ever been excavated, and it is continuous cultivation rather than archaeology that explains how much ancient masonry still stands.
Myth & legend
Four inscriptions in the Lycian language mark the Hoyran mausoleum, its arch banded with reliefs, and some thirty ogival-lidded sarcophagi stand among the olive terraces. Here the grave was built like the house — same cut stone, same view — and villagers still farm between them.
Geology
These slopes are terraced karst: benches of grey Mesozoic limestone whose hollows trap pockets of red karst soil, giving the olive trees their footing. Below the terraces the ground drops to the Kekova roadstead, the sheltered channel held behind a partly submerged limestone ridge lying just off a slowly settling coast.
Wildlife & nature
Carob, mastic and wild pear grow among the field walls, with cyclamen and anemone in the shade of the blocks in spring. Hoopoes and Sardinian warblers work the groves, spur-thighed tortoises push through the leaf litter, and scops owls call across the slope on summer nights.
The view
Some thirty ogival-lidded sarcophagi stand among working olive terraces, house walls still shoulder-high, with the Kekova roadstead glittering far below — finest in low evening light.
Photography
Set the Lycian lids against the sea with a polariser, catch the Hoyran mausoleum's reliefs in raking light, and use olive branches to frame tombs the way the farmers see them.
When to visit
Spring brings cyclamen and anemone into the shade of the blocks; October adds the bustle of the olive harvest, while summer middays are hot work on the open coast path.
Getting there
Walk in on the Lycian Way path between Üçağız and Kapaklı; quiet lanes also reach Hoyran and Kapaklı hamlets off the Kaş–Demre road for those coming by car or taxi.
Where to stay
A few rural pansiyons around Hoyran and Kapaklı live from passing walkers, with more choice at Üçağız below and the full spread of Kaş within an hour.
Food & water
No reliable source among the ruins — carry from Üçağız or your last village stop; hamlets along the way will usually fill a bottle if you ask kindly.
Safety
Terraces and olive groves hide uneven stone and thorny scrub, and the Hoyran tomb ledges are unfenced. Sun and water discipline matter on this stretch of coast path. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
Terraced hillside walking with hidden stone, thorn and unfenced tomb ledges throughout; there is no level access, and the mausoleum requires a rough uphill scramble.
Visitor tips
Villagers farm between the tombs, so greet, keep to paths and leave gates as found; walk through in the morning towards Simena and look for the mausoleum's four Lycian inscriptions.
Listen: the audio guide
The full narration of this stop's audio guide, in text. The audio itself plays only in the app.
Somewhere on the path between Üçağız and Kapaklı, high above the glitter of the bay, you stop looking at ruins and start walking through them. It happens gradually. A field wall turns out to be finely dressed ancient stone. A doorframe stands complete, lintel and all, holding up nothing whatsoever. And then, among the olive trees, you notice the coffins. This is Istlada, and it is one of the quietest pleasures on the whole Way, precisely because nobody has ever tidied it into a site.
Most of what stands here was raised in Hellenistic and Roman times, when this hillside prospered as a farming community inside the orbit of Myra, the great city along the coast. Tomb inscriptions from the imperial centuries name citizens of Myra, though the village may well have run its own affairs before that. On the ridge above, Hoyran spans a longer arc still, from the Lycian dynastic age right through into Byzantine times. Neither place has ever been excavated. And here is the lovely part: the reason so much masonry is still standing upright has nothing to do with archaeology. It is cultivation. People have been quietly maintaining these terraces for as long as the stones have been here, and a wall that holds your soil in place tends to get repaired rather than robbed.
Now, look for four things as you walk the terraces. First, the houses. Walls still shoulder-high, doorframes squared and true, the ordinary domestic architecture of a working village. Second, the sarcophagi, some thirty of them, with the curved ogival lids that mark a Lycian grave, standing between olive trees that somebody is still harvesting this season. Third, up on the ridge, the Hoyran mausoleum, cut back into the living rock, its arch banded with relief carving. Getting up there means a rough scramble, so weigh it against your legs and the hour. And fourth, the four inscriptions running across that mausoleum, written in Lycian, a member of the old Anatolian family of tongues that is still only partly understood. Four texts, sitting there being perfectly legible and completely mute.
The idea underneath this whole hillside is easy to miss, because it is everywhere at once. Here, the grave was built like the house. The same cut stone, the same craftsmanship, the same long view over the water. The dead were not sent away somewhere separate and out of sight. They were given a residence on the family's own slope and left facing the sea, among the trees that fed everybody. Two thousand years later, nothing much has changed about the arrangement. Farmers still walk between the tombs to reach the olives, and the tombs do not seem to mind. Greet the people you meet, keep to the paths and leave the gates exactly as you found them, because this is somebody's orchard as well as somebody's cemetery.
Look down past the terraces to the Kekova roadstead, that extraordinary sheltered channel held behind a partly submerged limestone ridge lying just off a slowly settling coast. Underfoot is terraced karst, benches of grey Mesozoic limestone whose hollows trap pockets of red soil, and that soil is the only reason the olives have any footing at all. Around you grow carob, mastic and wild pear, with cyclamen and anemone in the shade of fallen blocks each spring. Hoopoes flick through the groves and scops owls call across the slope on summer nights.
Low evening light is the moment here, when the lids glow and the sea goes pale beneath you. Come October, the whole hillside smells of the olive harvest. When you are ready, the path threads on through the tombs towards Kapaklı and eventually down to Andriake and Demre. Walk it slowly. It is all somebody's front garden. Walk safe.
Common questions
How old is Istlada & Hoyran?
Istlada & Hoyran dates from the Lycian / Byzantine period.
How do I get to Istlada & Hoyran?
Walk in on the Lycian Way path between Üçağız and Kapaklı; quiet lanes also reach Hoyran and Kapaklı hamlets off the Kaş–Demre road for those coming by car or taxi.
Is Istlada & Hoyran accessible?
Terraced hillside walking with hidden stone, thorn and unfenced tomb ledges throughout; there is no level access, and the mausoleum requires a rough uphill scramble.
When is the best time to visit Istlada & Hoyran?
Spring brings cyclamen and anemone into the shade of the blocks; October adds the bustle of the olive harvest, while summer middays are hot work on the open coast path.
Is there food and water at Istlada & Hoyran?
No reliable source among the ruins — carry from Üçağız or your last village stop; hamlets along the way will usually fill a bottle if you ask kindly.
Where can I stay near Istlada & Hoyran?
A few rural pansiyons around Hoyran and Kapaklı live from passing walkers, with more choice at Üçağız below and the full spread of Kaş within an hour.
What should I know before visiting Istlada & Hoyran?
Villagers farm between the tombs, so greet, keep to paths and leave gates as found; walk through in the morning towards Simena and look for the mausoleum's four Lycian inscriptions.
Is Istlada & Hoyran safe to visit?
Terraces and olive groves hide uneven stone and thorny scrub, and the Hoyran tomb ledges are unfenced. Sun and water discipline matter on this stretch of coast path. In an emergency dial 112.
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