Idebessos Ancient City is in Karacaören Village of Kumluca district of Antalya. However, the information about its establishment and history is not certain. It is thought to have been founded by the Luwians, one of the ancient peoples of Anatolia. After the research. It was revealed that the city was a member of the Lycian League. It is said that the people of Idebessos make their living from the agricultural fields and forested land around the city.
The city has a different settlement from other Lycian ancient cities and mainly contains ruins from the Hellenistic and Roman Periods. It welcomes visitors with the necropolis, which hosts a rich tomb architecture. The city had a small population and developed on a flat area. Fortifications surrounded it, and a sheltered acropolis was obtained. There is a small theater outside the walls. On the side of the forest road that cuts the city in the north-south direction, the remains of the aqueduct used to supply water to the city can be found. On the north side of the theater, there is a building thought to be a bath, due to the connection of the end of the aqueduct.
Among the most exciting structures of the Idebessos Ancient City, the angular family tombs, consisting of three sarcophagi with inscriptions, draw attention. There are also embossed sarcophagi. It is possible to see the shield and spear depictions in one of these and the depiction of a lion attacking a bull in another tomb. The basilica from the Byzantine Period is also among the works worth seeing.
