The island of Kastellorizo lies off the southwest corner of Anatolia, the land mass which today makes up 97% of Turkey. In ancient times this region was the home of the Lycians, a people with a distinct culture and language.

The 560 km long Taurus mountain range covers southern Anatolia and in the east extends into Iraq. In the eastern Taurus mountains are the sources of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. In the southwest the range ends in Lycia with a series of steep limestone mountains interspersed with valleys and plains before abruptly and dramatically descending into the Mediterranean Sea.

The mountains remerge here and there as islands such as Kastellorizo. Thus, you could imagine the short stretch of sea between the Turkish mainland and the islands as a string of long-submerged low valleys. In fact the sea level has risen over 2 metres since classical times, which accounts for the sunken settlements such as the Lycian town of Aperlae at Üçağiz near Kaş and remains of ancient buildings around Kastellorizo harbour.