Phaselis founded by Rhodes at the beginning of the 6th century B.C. The city was a Doric colony on the Pamphylian Gulf. it soon became an important harbour and,an important centre of commerce between Greece, Asia, Egypt, and Phoenicia, as can be deduced from the ships portrayed on coins. , although it did not belong to the confederation of Lycian cities. The ruins of aqueducts, agoras, baths, a theater, Hadrian’s Gate and an Acropolis reveal the city’s historical importance. From the south harbour, look up at Mountain Tahtali (Mt.Olympos) for a spectacular view. The sheltered sandy beaches make a superb playground, and the waters are calm and safe for swimmers
There was a temple of Athene at Phaselis, where the lance of Achilles was exhibited. It was the birthplace of the poet and orator Theodectes. It was also renowned for its roses, from which the essence was extracted. There was invented the bark called phaselos which figures on all the coins of the city. There was a Roman colony at Phaselis about 139 B.C., for the Romans wrote to the inhabitants to send help to Simon Machabeus and the Jews (I Mach., xv, 23). Only two of its bishops are known: Fronto at Chalcedon (451); and Aristodemus, who in 458 signed the letter from the bishops of Lycia to the Emperor Leo. At the Council of Nicæa (787), the absent bishop was represented by the deacon John. The see is mentioned in the "Notitiæ episcopatuum" until the thirteenth century.
Phaselis is situated on a promontory leading out to sea separating the city from Kemer by only twelve kiometres.There are sandy beaches there and luxuriant vegetation. Its ruins, mostly Greek and Roman have either been submerged or cut odd by the sea. The combination makes Phaselis a pleasant, romantic place. .
Alexander the Great spent considerable time at Phaselis; pirates made it their base for roaming the Mediterranean. In due course Phaselis became Byzantine and then, in 1150, it came under control of the Selcuk Turks.
There are only a few surviving fragments of the mosaic floor from the ancient Baths. The theatre, now surrounded and immersed in vegetation, was originally Greek, and even the fine Roman aqueduct presents a romantic picture as it has been literally embraced by pine trees.