Onobara is located on the southern end of Deveboynu Hill, east of the village of Gedeller in the Antalya region. Based on inscriptions discovered during field surveys, Onobara is thought to have functioned not as an urban center but rather as a focal point for surrounding rural farmsteads. The sarcophagi found within dispersed farm sites around the settlement support this interpretation.
The name of the settlement is thought to derive from the words for “donkey” (onos) and “farm” (bari-), suggesting a meaning related to “donkey farm.” During the Roman period, Onobara was a member of the Lycian League through a sympoliteia with Trebenna. It also appears as the easternmost Lycian settlement in the Patara Yol Anıtı. A route originating from Onobara extends to Attaleia in neighboring Pamphylia.
Apart from surface surveys, no excavation work has been conducted at the site. The limited visible remains all date to the Roman and Byzantine periods.
References:
Başgelen, N. (ed.) 2005. Lycian Journal 1892 – Ernst Krickl, Archaeology and Art Publication, İstanbul.
Çevik, N. 2021. Lykia Kitabı: Arkeolojisi, Tarihi ve Kültürüyle Batı Antalya, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara.
Images:
N. Başgelen, 2005
Epigrafik Araştırmalar Raporu, 2015
Wikiloc, 2023