Xanthos

Xanthos was an ancient city in Lycia, in what is now Antalya Province, Turkey, near the modern village of Kinik, and was described by the historian Strabo as the largest city in Lycia. Its acropolis dates to the 8th century BC; besieged by the Persian general Harpagus around 540 BC, its Lycian defenders reportedly destroyed their own acropolis rather than surrender, and the city later submitted peacefully to Alexander the Great before being sacked by the Roman general Brutus in 42 BC and rebuilt under Mark Antony. Xanthos is known for elaborate tombs, including the Nereid Monument, and was jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with nearby Letoon in 1988.