The Eşen valley has long been a farming country, and the landscape around the ruins of Xanthos is one of green fields, red earth and bare limestone hills. This stop lies close to the main ruins, among villages and orchards, and the rock tombs and carved pillars of the Lycians stand on the slopes above the road. Lycian tomb builders liked a view: they cut their graves in the cliffs, often in the form of wooden houses, and raised tall pillar tombs, topped with burial chambers, near the city.
The valley has a gentle rhythm. Farmers work among rows of vegetables and fruit trees, and small tractors rumble along the lanes. Kınık, the nearest village, has a few shops and tea houses, but little else. For fuel and a proper meal you need to go to Kalkan, which is about thirteen kilometres away, or to Kaş, which is a good deal farther, so plan your fuel carefully. The coast road is lovely, but it winds through hills, and distances can be deceptive.
Much of the finest sculpture from this region now lies in London. In the nineteenth century, a British traveller, Charles Fellows, removed the carved friezes of the Harpy Tomb and the Nereid Monument and shipped them to the British Museum, where they are displayed today. Casts of some of these works stand on the site, but the originals are far away. It gives the visit a poignant edge, a feeling of something missing from the place it was made for.
The best time to visit is spring or autumn, when the air is mild and the fields are green. In high summer the heat is fierce, and shade is rare. If you ride here from the coast, take the road slowly, watch for livestock and tractors, and keep your eyes open for the first glimpse of the tombs on the hillside. They look down quietly on the valley, as they have for twenty-five centuries.