It is a small settlement established on a hill at an altitude of 500 meters in the south of Hoyran village, about 4 km inland from the coast. There are ruins from the dynastic period to the Byzantine period. Ancient sources do not mention the settlement, and there is no information about the name of the settlement in the inscriptions that have been found until today. Therefore, the ancient name of the settlement is not known. It may be possible to match it with a settlement called Sorouda, which is mentioned only in the Byzantine period sources in this region. Despite the small size of the settlement, there are notable funerary monuments, especially from the dynastic period. Benndorf and his team were the first to visit and record the ruins in 1881. On the hill surrounded by the castle walls, there are remains of buildings carved into the bedrock. The necropolis area with many sarcophagi is between today’s village settlement and the acropolis. It is also possible to see highly qualified rock tombs, some of which have Lycian inscriptions, on the rocks on the slope. This unknown settlement in Hoyran is thought to be in the territory of Kyaneai. However, Tlepolemos of Myra is named in a Hellenistic period tomb found near the tomb of Ta’s son (see below), far from the necropolis area. The tomb, whose base was carved into the bedrock, was built in the form of a rectangular prism with large stone blocks, quite different from the traditional Lycian tomb architecture.
Hoyran Tomb (Tomb of the Son of Ta)
About 1 km far to the north of the acropolis there is one of the most remarkable dynastic period rock-cut tombs of Hoyran. It is a traditional Lycian tomb with a wooden imitation façade. The pediment on the arch-shaped roof and the belt underneath are decorated with reliefs. There are also 4 different Lycian inscriptions located at the tomb entrance, pediment and next to the reliefs. The name of the owner of the tomb, which is understood to be “son of Ta” from the inscription, is not legible. Since the location of the tomb is quite far from the main settlement and the necropolis area, and also considering there are traces of structures carved into the rocks right next to it, Borchhardt suggests that this tomb may have belonged to a landlord rather than a dynast of Hoyran. The tomb is dated to the first half of the 4th century.
References:
Benndorf, O. & G. Niemann. 1884. Reisen in Lykien und Karien (Reisen im südwestlichen Kleinasien I), Viyana.
Borchhardt, J., G. Neumann & K. Schulz. 1984. Das Grabmal des Sohnes des Ta aus Hoyran in Zentrallykien, ÖJh. 55, 68–131.
Çevik, N. 2021. Lykia Kitabı: Arkeolojisi, Tarihi ve Kültürüyle Batı Antalya, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara.
Marksteiner, T. 1995. ‘Die befestigte Siedlung von Hoiran’, in Lykische Studien 2 – 1991 (AMS 18), 205 – 228, Bonn.
Petersen, E. & F. Von Luschan. 1889. Reisen in Lykien Milyas und Kibyratis. Reisen im Südwestlischen Kleinasien II, Wien.
Image sources:
O. Benndorf & G. Niemann, 1884
E. Petersen & F. Von Luschan, 1889
Hoyran.com
Tayfun Bilgin, 2022
Bora Bilgin, 2022, 2023
Reha Özer, 2023