The Royal Necropolis of Ayaa lies on a low rise about a kilometre east of the old town. It was here, in 1887, that the so-called Alexander Sarcophagus was discovered — a Hellenistic marble masterpiece carved with scenes of Alexander the Great in battle, now one of the prized exhibits of the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. The same excavation yielded the Sarcophagus of the Mourning Women, the Lycian Sarcophagus, and several other extraordinary tombs.
What remains on site is more modest: two hypogea — underground rock-cut burial chambers — that once housed twenty-one royal sarcophagi. The chambers themselves are not always open to visitors, but the site is worth a brief stop for the historical association, particularly if you have seen the sarcophagi themselves in Istanbul or are heading to the Beirut National Museum where related finds are displayed.