Termessos is an important ancient city located in the southwestern part of the Pisidian region called "Milyas".
The city was founded by the Solyms, descendants of the Luwians, one of the oldest peoples of Anatolia. The city made its debut on the stage of history when Alexander the Great besieged the city in 333 BC and the people of Termesos did not surrender the city by making a strong defense.
After the death of Alexander, the city was taken by the Ptolemies. In 189 BC, the Termessians who captured the neighboring city of Isinda were punished by Manlius Vulsotar, the commander of the Roman forces in Anatolia, upon the complaint of the people of Isinda. In 71 BC, it was accepted and approved by the Roman Senate that Termessos, which was in "friendship and alliance" with Rome, was independent in its affairs and would make its own laws. There is no information about the status of the city during the Byzantine period and later periods.