Although the nearly Beldibi Cave was labeled a prehistoric site, the establishment of the city of Phaselis doesn’t go earlier than the seventh century B.C. Phaselis was founded in 690 B.C. as a colony of Rhodes.It had three ports and was close to rich forests.

In its early years, the city met its water needs with wells and cisterns. In Roman times, it brought water to the city via aqueducts from faraway places. They transported water from a spring to the north to a hill behind the Hadrian Agora and from here they distributed it to the city through channels.

The main ruins of the city are found on two sides of the main avenue that connects the military port with the south port. There are three steps on the sidewalks on two sides of the avenue which is 125 meters long and 20-25 meters wide. The avenue forms a square in the middle and leads to the south port.

The Chimera, who was born to the underworld creatures Typhon and Echidna, used to live in Olympos, which is today called Çıralı or Yanartas. Chimera was killed by Bellerophon astride his flyinghorse, and the creature was still breathing flames to the last moment of his life. Today, natural gases keep the flames burning eternally among the rocks in Olympos, and this is the legend behind the burning rocks.

Olympos was set up in the Hellenistic period. We have coins of the city printed in the second century B.C.. In 100 B.C., Olympos became one of the six leading cities that had the right to vote.

Opramoas of Rhodiapolis, who helped to restore all the Lycian cities in the second century B.C., also gave a hand to Olympos. He helped in the repair and restoration of many buildings in the city. This way Olympos had the most prosperous era of its history during this century. After this golden age, pirates kept troubling the city.