Seleukeia

With its other know name as Lybre, the ancient Seleukeia City is in the borders of Bucakşeyhler (Şıhlar) village, which is 12 km away and north-westward, towards the Toros Mountains, from Manavgat Centrum. The city is accessed through a thick pine forest with a magnificent view.

Seleukeia had been built by the Seleucids on the southern slopes of the Toros Mountains and was ramparted only with a 9m high wall that is now being understood that was placed between two defiles. Most of the current ruins that are scattered through a wide area belong to Hallenistic and Roman periods. These ruins prove that this settlement was, especially in the Roman period, a fairly developed city.

The archaeological digging works in the settlement has been initiated by Professor Dr. Jale Inan and her team, in 1973 and on behalf of Istanbul University.

The most important ancient finding among those found in Seleukeia Ancient City is the mosaic known as “The Seven Sages Mosaic” and is currently exhibited in the Antalya Museum as the other ancient findings that are discovered during the diggings.

Among the ancient ruins you can see in this city, where you will discover a sense of developedness, there are the hamam (an ancient kind of steam bath), the planned and two storied agora, the half circle shaped structure (bouleuterion or odeon) that is located on the southern edge of the agora, and on the northern edge a well preserved chapel ruin.

Also at the North of the agora is a Temple of Apollo with marble platform.

At the western side of the ruins a holly cave that had been used for baptism on ancient ages can be found. Further west from this cave, is a mosaic floored Roman hamam with three main sections and various rooms at the sides. Probably the most impressing view of the settlement, which displays the plain and the sea as a whole with its canyoned geography, is available here. A big basilica floored with colored marble, is located at the southwest of this hamam.