Exploring the ruins of ancient cities in Lycia, you inevitably find yourself thinking about empires.
But these ruins are just traces of humanity's attempt to cheat time. Rulers carved tombs into cliffs and chiseled names into stone, as if signing eternity.
Face reliefs, stone figures, inscriptions in dozens of languages — all meant to echo through centuries as a loud declaration of greatness.
The irony is that today these stones just lie among grass, columns, and semi-destroyed arches.
No one remembers the names, but everyone takes selfies against them.
It's amazing how strongly such places attract people. We come not for answers, but to briefly touch the same questions rulers once asked themselves. Yet standing among the ruins, you realize the obvious: greatness is temporary, empires vanish, stones remain.
And leaving, you run your hand over the grass — you know you'll soon be home. And you'll remember empires not among the ruins, but through the photos you keep.
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