Xanthos Necropolis

The Xanthos Necropolis is located at the site of ancient Xanthos, the capital city of Lycia, in modern-day southwestern Turkey near the Mediterranean coast. Xanthos sits near the modern town of Kınık in Antalya Province and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed together with the nearby sanctuary of Letoon.

The necropolis is famous for its distinctive Lycian funerary monuments, particularly its towering pillar tombs and intricately carved sarcophagi. The most celebrated monument is the Harpy Tomb, a tall pillar tomb dating to around 480–470 BCE whose marble reliefs depict fantastical creatures, now housed in the British Museum.

Yes, Xanthos was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, together with the nearby sanctuary of Letoon under the combined designation 'Xanthos-Letoon.' UNESCO recognized the site for its importance as the capital of ancient Lycia and its unique funerary architecture that blends Lycian, Greek, and Roman traditions.

The necropolis was built primarily by the Lycians, an Anatolian people who inhabited the region from at least the first millennium BCE through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Lycian funerary architecture is distinctive in the ancient world for its pillar tombs, house-type tombs, and sarcophagi, many of which are preserved at Xanthos.