Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Türk Tarih Kurumu Yayınları, Ankara, 2022
What you find before you is the first book to comprehensively cover Lycia from its earliest known history to the Ottoman period, including the basic subjects of history, culture, art, architecture, city planning, social and administrative structures, religion, livelihoods, language, writing and economy, along with descriptions of 130 ancient settlements. It is the first well-organized book concerning western Antalya to examine the region in terms of its myriad dimensions of history and culture.
As an archaeologist, this book is my way of repaying my personal debt and obligations to the region of Lycia, to which I have devoted the past 34 years of my life. As such, it was my duty to compile all of the accumulated knowledge and discoveries from my work in a book rather than take it all with me to the grave, as if I were the sole owner of this knowledge and experience.
The English edition of this book contains all of the same information and data that had been gathered as of 2015 as the original edition except for a few minor revisions. There have, of course, been new discoveries in Lycia over the course of the past five years and thus, this book will be updated and republished with all of the new information in 10 years’ time as long as I am still able to do so. At long last there is a reference book on Lycia for those who don’t know Turkish. There is finally a book to cover every culture to have existed throughout history in and around Antalya or, at the least, its western half.
The English edition is late in coming and lack of time has been an excuse used most likely since before recorded history. Time is also fleeting and fortunately, today is still earlier than tomorrow. It will forever be a source of honor for me to have my book published by the Turkish Historical Society, which was established by Afet İnan through the directives of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at the 6th Congress on April 28, 1930. My first book (Urartian Rock Tombs and Burial Traditions, 2000) was also published by the TTK and it brought me much joy. The second Turkish-language edition of this book was also a source of deep satisfaction for me. Now, the publication of the English version is a celebration the 92nd anniversary of the Turkish Historical Society, which has a very special place in the world of science in Turkey and beyond.
I
would like to extend my deepest gratitude first to the Turkish Historical
Society and its president, Prof. Dr. Birol Çetin in particular; Semih Erdal, Şükrü
Çavuş and the editorial team; the Honorable Rapporteurs who honored me with
their very impressive reports, TTK Publishing for its careful-high quality
printing of the book; Peter Klempner, who translated the original manuscript
with meticulous care; my dear friend Hasan Akıncıoğlu of AKHE Ltd., who
financed the translation; my friend Mikail Duggan for editing the translated
manuscript; my friend Süleyman Bulut, who helped me with the corrections; and
Sema Talu for preparing the index. After much pleasant feedback from Turkish
readers, it brings me much pleasure to now be able to present this book to a
wider, international readership.