Standing prominently on the main street of Kaş, this iconic Lycian sarcophagus is carved from a single block of stone and sits on a high base. Known locally as the King's Tomb, it features lion heads on the lid and a Gothic-style pointed arch. The inscription in Lycian script has never been fully deciphered, adding to its mystery.
Highlights
- A complete Lycian sarcophagus carved from a single block on its tall plinth
- Four lion heads guarding the ogival lid that named the King's Tomb
- A Lycian inscription that has never been fully deciphered
- Ottoman-era lanes built around the monument rather than over it
- Bougainvillea and shopfronts crowding 2,400-year-old stone on Uzun Çarşı
At a glance
| Period | Lycian (4th century BC) |
|---|---|
| Stage | 9 — Kalkan to Kaş |
Take care
- Mind scooters and delivery traffic in the narrow lane
- Ordinary town care around the monument
History
The monument was assembled in the 4th century BC as a three-tier tomb — rock-cut burial chamber below, plinth above, and the great lidded chest lifted on top — a form reserved for leading Lycian families. While hundreds of comparable tombs along this coast were broken up for building stone in later eras, this one stood untouched at the head of a street in use since Roman times, and Ottoman-era Andifli simply built its lanes around it. Nineteenth-century antiquarians copied the epitaph into the first corpora of the Lycian language.
Myth & legend
The lions couchant on the lid gave the sarcophagus its name; in Lycian funerary art such beasts stood guard over the dead. The Lycian inscription has never been fully deciphered — the King's Tomb keeps the name of its king to itself.
Geology
Lycia's platform limestones lie in beds thick enough to yield monoliths weighing several tonnes, and that is what made the regional sarcophagus tradition possible — chest, base and ogival lid each demanded a flawless single piece. The stone develops a tough grey weathering crust in salt air, which has helped the carved detail survive in the open street.
Wildlife & nature
Bougainvillea, jasmine and potted citrus crowd the lane around the monument, and Mediterranean house geckos hunt the lit walls after dark. Collared doves and house sparrows nest in the eaves, swallows and swifts fill the street's slot of sky in summer, and orange lichen creeps over the old stone.
The view
A complete Lycian sarcophagus on its tall base closes the view up the Uzun Çarşı lane, bougainvillea and whitewashed shopfronts crowding around 2,400-year-old stone — Kaş in a single frame.
Photography
Early morning before the shops open gives clean lines up the lane; after dark the lit monument against deep blue sky is the classic; a low angle from downhill exaggerates the tall plinth.
When to visit
Photogenic all year; spring and autumn mornings are quiet, while July–August evenings bring strolling crowds that suit street-life frames better than clean architectural ones.
Getting there
In the heart of Kaş old town, a two-minute walk uphill from the harbour square; the town is served by coastal buses and dolmuş, and the trail runs directly through its streets.
Where to stay
Every kind of bed within ten minutes on foot — old-town pansiyons, small hotels and peninsula apartments; walkers commonly take a rest day in Kaş between stages.
Food & water
A town-centre monument with shops and cafés on every side — an ordinary bottle suffices; refill properly before onward stages, as the trail out of Kaş climbs dry hillsides.
Safety
The sarcophagus stands in a narrow shopping street — mind scooters and delivery traffic in the lane. Ordinary town care otherwise. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
The tomb stands at street level in a sloping paved lane with no steps on the approach from the harbour square — the easiest great Lycian monument to see up close, though the gradient is noticeable.
Visitor tips
Look for the four lion heads on the ogival lid and the undeciphered Lycian lines on the panel below; combine with the sea-facing theatre ten minutes away for a sunset finish.
Listen: the audio guide
The full narration of this stop's audio guide, in text. The audio itself plays only in the app.
Walk up Uzun Çarşı from the harbour square and the lane does something no planner alive would permit. It runs between whitewashed shopfronts hung with bougainvillea and lamps, and then it stops at a tomb. Shops on either side, scooters threading past, and there in the middle of everything a complete Lycian sarcophagus on a tall plinth, roughly twenty-four centuries old and entirely at home.
What stands here is a three-tier monument of a kind reserved for the leading families of the fourth century BC. Below your eye level, cut into the bedrock of the street, lies the original burial chamber. Above that sits the plinth. And on top of that, lifted into position by people with ropes, timber and considerable nerve, rests the great lidded chest itself. Each of those pieces is a single block of stone, and that is the quiet condition behind the whole Lycian sarcophagus tradition. The platform limestones of this coast lie in beds thick enough to yield flawless monoliths weighing several tonnes, so a family could order a tomb carved out of one piece rather than assembled from many. Salt air has since given the surfaces a tough grey weathering crust, which is exactly why carving this fine has survived in the middle of an open street.
Now, look for four things. First, the lid, which is the giveaway. It curves up to a ridge in the ogival profile the Lycians made their own, a shape you will start seeing on hillsides for the rest of this trail. Second, the four lion heads projecting from it, one at each corner. In Lycian funerary art the lion stands guard over the dead, and these four have been on duty a very long time. Third, the panel below, where an inscription runs in the Lycian script. Read it if you can. Nobody else has. And fourth, look down at the rock-cut chamber beneath the plinth, then up at the eaves around you, where collared doves and house sparrows nest and geckos come out to hunt the lit stonework after dark. Jasmine and potted citrus stand in the doorways, and in summer swallows and swifts fill the narrow slot of sky above the lane.
Lycian can be pronounced but not fully read. It is an Anatolian language related to Hittite and Luwian, and nineteenth-century antiquarians copied this epitaph into the first great collections of the language, where it has sat ever since, sounded out and not understood. So the tomb keeps the name of its occupant to itself, which is a rather magnificent way of losing an argument with time. The survival is the other marvel. Hundreds of comparable sarcophagi along this coast were broken up for building stone, their lids split, their chests reused as troughs and lintels. This one stood at the head of a street in continuous use since Roman times, and when Ottoman-era Andifli grew into the lanes you are standing in, the town built round it rather than over it. Somebody, in every single generation, decided that it should stay.
The name is the town's own. It is called the King's Tomb, and the story goes that a king lies inside, though nothing legible on the stone says so and nobody can prove it. The title is affectionate rather than historical. Given that the lions have guarded this man for twenty-four centuries without ever being told who he was, promoting him seems only fair.
You came into Kaş on the stage down from Kalkan, and the Way climbs out over dry hillsides when you leave. Before that, walk the ten minutes west to the sea-facing theatre and let the sun go down over the water, then come back up this lane after dark, when the shops have shut and the lions are lit against a deep blue sky. Enjoy them. Walk safe.
Common questions
How old is King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
King's Tomb (Lion Tomb) dates from the Lycian (4th century BC) period.
How do I get to King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
In the heart of Kaş old town, a two-minute walk uphill from the harbour square; the town is served by coastal buses and dolmuş, and the trail runs directly through its streets.
Is King's Tomb (Lion Tomb) accessible?
The tomb stands at street level in a sloping paved lane with no steps on the approach from the harbour square — the easiest great Lycian monument to see up close, though the gradient is noticeable.
When is the best time to visit King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
Photogenic all year; spring and autumn mornings are quiet, while July–August evenings bring strolling crowds that suit street-life frames better than clean architectural ones.
Is there food and water at King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
A town-centre monument with shops and cafés on every side — an ordinary bottle suffices; refill properly before onward stages, as the trail out of Kaş climbs dry hillsides.
Where can I stay near King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
Every kind of bed within ten minutes on foot — old-town pansiyons, small hotels and peninsula apartments; walkers commonly take a rest day in Kaş between stages.
What should I know before visiting King's Tomb (Lion Tomb)?
Look for the four lion heads on the ogival lid and the undeciphered Lycian lines on the panel below; combine with the sea-facing theatre ten minutes away for a sunset finish.
Is King's Tomb (Lion Tomb) safe to visit?
The sarcophagus stands in a narrow shopping street — mind scooters and delivery traffic in the lane. Ordinary town care otherwise. In an emergency dial 112.
Nearby on the route
Plan the visit
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