Shrine of Leto
Off the main road from Fethiye to Kalkan at Kumluova lies the Letoon, a vast triple temple dedicated to the brother and sister gods, Apollo and Artemis, and their mother Leto which forms one of Turkey’s UNESCO-listed world heritage sites together with nearby Xanthos.
The Letoon seems to have been the main religious sanctuary of the Lycian Federation as well as the site of an oracle. It was dedicated to Leto who was believed to have stopped here to drink from a spring after it was shown to her by wolves. It was those same wolves (lykos in Greek) after whom the surrounding area was supposedly renamed Lycia.
The ruins retain some original mosaics, although the most striking mosaic to be seen there is actually a copy of an original kept in nearby Fethiye Museum.
Aside from the remains of the temples the Letoon is the site of a vast Graeco-Roman theatre that is still substantially intact.
The site is usually at least partially under water and while you’re visiting you will probably see terrapins resting on bits of ruin that jut up from the water as well as colourful dragonflies and the occasional little grebe (dabchick).
Sleeping
There are simple huts for rent at Kumluova beach down the road from the ruins.
