Kaunos

Kaunos, also known as Kaunós in ancient Greek, is an archaeological site and the ruins of an ancient city situated at the mouth of the Dalyan River in what is now Dalyan, Muğla Province, southwestern Turkey. The city lay in the region of Caria with significant Lycian influence, reflecting the cultural interchange of the Aegean coast in antiquity. It flourished as a harbor town from the classical through the late antique period, engaging in maritime trade across the eastern Mediterranean.

The surviving remains include defensive walls, a theatre, baths, an agora, and cisterns from the Hellenistic and Roman eras, indicating substantial urban architecture. The most characteristic feature of Kaunos is the hillside necropolis with rock-cut tombs carved into cliff faces, commonly associated with Lycian funerary practices and visible from the river.

Nearby are the ruins and tombs overlooking the Dalyan Delta, which is a tourist draw in addition to the Iztuzu Beach, a nesting site for endangered sea turtles. Excavations at Kaunos began in the 20th century and have continued intermittently, revealing layers of occupation from the Archaic through late antiquity.

In present-day archaeology, Kaunos is recognized for its combination of urban architecture and Lycian rock-cut tombs, illustrating the cultural blend of Carian, Lycian, Greek, and Roman influences on the southwestern coast of Anatolia.