About Pınara
Near Minare village, Pınara is a distinctive Lycian city with a rounded acropolis pierced by hundreds of rock-cut tombs and a theatre on the opposite slope. Agora, baths and funerary monuments are dispersed across a quiet mountain landscape.
History
Its name appears as Pinale in Lycian inscriptions. Ancient tradition describes settlers arriving from Xanthos, while archaeology demonstrates a strong local Lycian identity. One of the major League cities entitled to three votes, Pınara developed a theatre, baths and public buildings under Rome. Numerous tombs and sarcophagi made elite families visible in the cityscape. It became a bishopric in late antiquity before eventual abandonment as transport networks changed.
Highlights and principal structures
- Rounded acropolis and rock-cut tombs
- Theatre
- Agora
- Roman baths
- Columned tomb
- Monumental rock-cut tombs
Historical period
Classical–Roman