Iotape Antik Kenti – Travel Guide

Iotape (Aytap) Ancient City, located on the thirty-third kilometer of the Alanya-Gazipaşa highway, is a Cilician coastal city. It takes its name from Iotape, the wife of King Antiochos IV of Commagene (38-72 AD). From Emperor Trajan to Valerian, the city minted coins in its name.

Alanya Museum

The ruins of the city bear characteristics of the Roman and Byzantine periods. A high cape extending towards the sea is the acropolis of the city. Since this section is surrounded by walls, it looks like a castle (acropolis). The structures are quite damaged. In the small valley where the acropolis connects to the land, there is a harbor street extending in an east-west direction. A large part of Liman Street is buried under the highway that passes through here today. It is understood from the pedestals that there were crepis consisting of three steps on both sides of the ancient street and sometimes statues stood between them. The inscribed bases of the statues contain information about the successful and charitable citizens of the city.

Alanya Museum

In the bay located to the east of the acropolis, a rectangular-plan basilica and a small single-nave church attributed to Hagios Georgios Stratelates due to the inscribed fresco inside can be seen. There are also ruins of a bath in the same area, and the bath is similar to other baths in the region in terms of plan.

Alanya Museum

The bathhouse and the city’s infrastructure system can still be seen. Among the ruins of the ancient city on the sea side, there is also a temple dedicated to Trajan due to an inscription found nearby. The temple has survived only at the stylobate level. The ruins to the north of the modern road mostly consist of tomb structures in the necropolis area, houses and walls, some of which can be observed. In addition to monumental tomb structures, there are also simple tombs in the necropolis, which are unique examples that best reflect the tomb architecture and burial customs of the region.