Aperlai was a port city located between Kaş and Kekova. It is situated in Asar Bay, approximately 7.5 km southeast of Simena, east of the narrow isthmus connecting the Sıçak Peninsula to the mainland.
The earliest surviving remains in the city are fortification walls dating to the Hellenistic period. Within the city walls, numerous architectural remains are preserved, including two bath complexes and four churches. Although coins bearing the Lycian name Aprlla were minted during the Dynastic period, no surviving architectural remains or tombs from this period have been identified at the site. It has also been suggested that Aperlai may have functioned as the port of Apollonia during the Dynastic period, and that the aforementioned coins may in fact belong to Apollonia rather than Aperlai.
The necropolis contains numerous Lycian-style sarcophagi dating to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. According to epigraphic evidence, the city was founded at the end of the 4th century BCE. Aperlai led a sympoliteia during this period, together with Simena, Isinda, and Apollonia, sharing a single vote within the Lycian League and minting coins under its own name.
Earthquakes that affected the Lycian region caused significant damage to this coastal settlement. In addition to breakwaters and harbor structures, many coastal buildings were submerged as a result of seismic activity. Underwater investigations of submerged murex-processing workshops in the harbor area indicate that Aperlai prospered through the production and trade of purple dye (Tyrian purple). This dye, used particularly for coloring textiles in shades of magenta and purple, was extracted from marine snails of the genus Murex (Murex trunculus) and represented a highly valuable commodity in antiquity.
The city continued to exist as a bishopric center during the Byzantine period until the 7th century.
References:
Aslan, E. 2010. “Kekova Bölgesi Liman Araştırmaları 2009: Aperlai Limanı / Harbour Surveys in Kekova Region in 2009: Harbour of Aperlai,” ANMED 8, 181–188.
Çevik, N. 2021. Lykia Kitabı: Arkeolojisi, Tarihi ve Kültürüyle Batı Antalya, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara.
Vann, R. L. & R. L. Hohlfelder. 1998. “Survey of Ancient Harbours in Turkey: 1997 Season Aperlae in Lycia,” AST 16.2, 443–460.
Vann, R. L., R. L. Hohlfelder & K. Shedrick. 2000. “The East Baths at Aperlae,” Adalya IV, 195–206.
Zimmermann, M. 1992. Untersuchungen zur historischen Landeskunde Zentrallykiens, Bonn.
Images:
R. Vann et al., 2000
K. Filler, 2015
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2016
Bora Bilgin, 2023