Simena Örenyeri

About Simena Örenyeri

The village of Kaleköy, on the Kekova coast, is built on top of the ancient city of Simena. Inscriptions found here take the city's history back to the 4th century BC, and the castle of Simena was in use in the Middle Ages, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Inside the inner castle formed by the medieval walls are the remains of a temple, now only a few blocks, and a stoa linked to it. Also within the castle is a theatre cut into the natural rock, with seven rows of seats for about 300 people; the Ministry says it is the smallest theatre of any Lycian city. Above a rock tomb you can see a Roman wall of dressed blocks and, on top of that, a later wall with battlements, so three different periods are visible at once. On the shore stands a ruined bath whose inscription records that it was dedicated to the emperor Titus by the people and council of Aperlai and the other cities of the league. There are many tombs, two of them house-type tombs, and the house-type tomb north of the tower carries an inscription in the Lycian language. Looking down from the castle towards Üçağız shows how well sheltered the natural harbour is. The site is open every day. When checked in November 2026 the Ministry listed hours of 08:00 to 19:00, with the ticket office closing at 18:30; hours change by season. MüzeKart is valid for Turkish citizens.