Another at the beginning of the alphabet!

Araxa is situated by the village of Oren at the upper, northern end of the Xanthus valley, close under the mountains. Follow the main road from Fethiye to Kemer, then north on a minor road to Oren, it is well sign posted. Several inscriptions naming the city have identified Araxa. Though it is Iisted by the ancient geographers, nothing further was known of it, until George Bean found at Oren in 1946 a long decree of the people of Araxa recording the public services of a distinguished citizen by name Othagoras. The stone was then in use by the women of the village as a washing-board, for which the lines of writing provided an admirable surface, however this has long disappeared. From it we learn that in the second century B.C. Araxa was involved in wars first with Bubon, then with Cibyra, whose men had ravaged Araxan territory and carried of a number of its citizens; Orthagoras was sent as ambassador to complain to the League. At the time of the attempted tyrannies at Tlos and Xanthus he served with distinction in the League army until the usurpers were suppressed, and again in a war between the Lycians and Termessus. He was instrumental in obtaining the admission to the League of a neighbour of Araxa called Orloanda, a place otherwise unknown, and later functioned as ambassador to meet certain envoys from Rome. In all these cases he served without pay and secured whatever was needful for his city. 

Not much now survives of Araxa. In the village there were formerly some ruins of which one wall, making an obtuse angle, stood at a height of 10 feet; the villagers too have now reused this. On the Acropolis hill, which is quite low, a little below the summit on the side towards the village, are the remains of a solid wall with a tower projecting 18 feet; The blocks are huge, measuring up to 5 feet 10 inches by 5 feet 5 inches, laid in nearly regular courses; many of them have drafted edges. The area is used by the local beekeepers so be warned!

The most interesting tombs are in a group of a dozen cut in the rock at the base of a low hillock by the roadside about a mile to the west of the village. They are of various types; most are of true Lycian house-type, one group of three being especially attractive, others are plain rock-cut chambers.

One, however, is of different and later form; the porch is flanked by twin antae, each decorated with two rosettes in front and one on each side, with capitals of no particular order; above is an architrave with two fasciae, a dentil frieze, a slight cornice, and a naked pediment Lacking the normal raking cornices. A tall door leads to the usual chamber with three benches. Above the main group is a plain Lycian tomb with the name Qrthagoras carved on either side of the door. This is the only inscription in the group, but it is not original, it relates to a re-use of the tomb in much later, apparently Roman, times, and the man in question is not to be identified with the Araxan hero mentioned above.

There are local inhabitants that have established squatters rights!