In Greek mythology Mount Olympus was the home of the gods, and nearly twenty mountains in Anatolia and Greece were given this name. One of these is Mount Tahtali in the Olympus-Beydaglari National Park. Although at a height of 2374 metres the mountain is not of a great altitude compared to many others in Turkey, the fact that it rises with such suddenness from the coast south of Antalya makes it an impressive sight. In its foothills on the shore of the Mediterranean lie the picturesque overgrown ruins of the city of Olympos, stretching down a narrow valley to the shore.

Founded in Hellenistic times, Olympos became one of the foremost cities of the Lycian League, to which it belonged from 168 BC to 78 BC. It was one of only six cities holding three votes in the league. Later the city was razed by Cilician pirates, but rebuilt during the Roman period in the 2nd century AD, and most of the ruins visible today date from this period. In the 3rd century attacks by pirates in search of plunder left the city impoverished, and the population dwindled. Later the city enjoyed a brief revival of its fortunes under the Venetians, Genoese and knights of Rhodes, but was abandoned entirely in the 15th century after the Ottoman navy gained control over the eastern Mediterranean.

At the foot of the hill to the south of the stream are the remains of a small theatre, beyond it a ruined Byzantine basilica, and on the shore a Roman bath. It is a delightful walk along the banks of the small river in the cool shade of the trees, emerging finally at the edge of the sea. This beautiful stretch of coastline became a national park in 1972. The Olympos-Beydaglari National Park covers an area of 698 square kilometres, encompassing the foothills of the Beydaglari Mountains from Gelidonya Burnu headland to the bay of Yeni Liman.