Laertes Antik Kenti

About Laertes Antik Kenti

Laertes is an ancient city in the Taurus Mountains, built in an easily defended position on the southern slopes of Cebel-i Reis Dağı, which rises at the mouth of the Dim valley. It stands about eight hundred and fifty metres above sea level and about twenty-five kilometres from Alanya; the nearest village is Gözüküçüklü. In antiquity the area lay within the region known as Rough Cilicia. The geographer Strabo described Laertes as a city with a harbour, built on a breast-shaped hill. A stone inscription found at Laertes, dated to the 6th century BC and bearing some local personal names, takes the history of the city further back. It deals with a servant of the provincial governor and with problems of property, and is now displayed in the Alanya Museum. The necropolis of the city lies to the south. The Culture Portal advises reaching the site by private car from Alanya.