Seven km up on the mountainside above the village of Üzümlü near Fethiye, Kadyanda is one of those wonderful remote ruined sites that receives far fewer visitors than it really deserves but is all the more glorious for that fact.
Kadyanda was probably originally a Lycian settlement dating back to around 3,000 BC although almost everything to be seen at the site today dates from the much later period of the Roman occupation.
Only some parts of the city walls and the odd inscription can be said with any certainty to predate 500 BC.
Around the site
The site is well laid out with a clear path marked by stones and the major structures signed. It’s probably not a good idea to bring young children here though since there are many deep holes in the ground leading to the water storage system that it would be very easy for them to fall into.
Just beyond the ticket office the path climbs up through the tumbled remains of the necropolis and arrives at the slight remains of a Roman-era Heroon, a sanctuary dedicated to a hero. From here there are fine views out towards Fethiye.
The path continues to wind up the hillside and through the agora until it reaches the battered remains of a large 1st-century bathhouse. Today pine trees cover the site although presumably in Roman times the area of the agora would have been cleared. 
Behind the bathhouse it’s much easier to inspect the remains of the ancient stadium since the trees have been cleared. It appears that tiered seating was higher on the hill side than on the opposite one so that spectators would have been able to look out over the view.
At one end of the stadium is what may have been a fountain. Up above the stadium are the hard-to-interpret remains of a Hellenistic temple and of a huge square arena labelled a cistern – holes in the ground presumably gave access to water beneath it.
As you start your ascent from the end of the stadium you will see stretches of the city wall made from Cyclopean masonry – huge misshapen stones cut so that they would fit together without cement.
Then suddenly, just as you think you’ve seen everything the site has to offer, you come upon the sizeable remains of the theatre set into the hillside and with a wraparound retaining wall at the back. More stretches of city wall can be seen close by.
Transport info
There’s no public transport to Kadyanda but taxis wait to run you up to the ruins from Üzümlü.
The mountain road is unasphalted and probably difficult to drive along after bad weather but the walk down is a pleasant one with mountain scenery and pines to keep you company.
