It is located near the village of Yazır, about 5 km east of Olympos. The ruins of the small settlement on a rocky hill are called Asartaş. The two rock tombs discovered in 1993 on the eastern side of this rocky hill are the best preserved monuments. The façade of the first rock-cut tomb, located further to the north, is striking with its rich ornaments. Due to the broken left leg of the relief on the right of the tomb entrance, it is called Topal Gavur (The Lame Infidel) by the local people. The Greek inscription on it states that the owner of the tomb was Apollonios, the son of Hellaphilos:
Here I lie dead, Apollonios son of Hellaphilos.
I acted fair, and enjoyed life,
with eating and drinking and having pleasure.
Greetings to passers by!
Another rock-cut tomb located nearby is important as it bears a Lycian inscription. It is the easternmost of the Lycian inscriptions found, so far. In addition, it was built with meticulous craftmanship in a typical Lycian tomb architecture that imitates wooden houses. Although Lycian culture was not dominant in this region, existence of such monuments indicates the eastern extensions of the cultural influence.
References:
Çevik, N. 2021. Lykia Kitabı: Arkeolojisi, Tarihi ve Kültürüyle Batı Antalya, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara.
Işın, G. 1994. ‘The Easternmost Rock Tomb in Lycia, Topal Gavur at Asartaş’, Lykia 1, 68-76.
Işın, G. 2011. ‘Topal Gavur’dan Apollonios’a: Bir Keşif Öyküsü’. Aktüel Arkeoloji, Mart-Nisan, 104-111.
Wörrle, M. 1997. ‘Die Inschriften am Grab des Apollonios am Asartaş von Yazır in Ostlykien’, Lykia3, 23-38
Image sources:
G. Işın, 1994
M. Wörrle, 1997
Bora Bilgin, 2022
Ertuğrul Anıl, 2023