According to the quote of the ancient writer Stephanus from Byzantion Menekrotes, the name of the city stems from the fact that when the population of Xanthos was very high, a group of elders called ‘Pınara yuvarlak, which means a city on a high hill of Kragos Mountain. The fact that the upper acropolis, where the early ruins of the city are located, has a really round shape, points to the truth of this myth. The name of the city is referred to as ale Pinale larda in the Lycian inscriptions. Today, it is reminiscent of Pınara, the name of the village near the ancient city.

The famous Geographer Strabon, according to the quote from Artemidoros'dan, Lycian Union of the Parliament has three voting rights in one of the six cities is Pinara.

Pinara Antique City consists of baths, theater, agora, odeon, rock tombs, upper acropolis and lower acropolis. As the upper acropolis became inadequate in a short period of time, the lower acropolis was opened to the settlement where transportation was also easier. In the lower acropolis, there are structures such as odeon, agora, temple and pleated tombs. The fact that the majority of the rock tombs are in the form of dwellings gives an idea about the Lycian Civil Architecture. Although the slopes of the lower acropolis are steeply non-passage, it was supported by a fortification wall both for the construction of the terrace and fortification.

When you enter the city through the gate to the south of the city wall, it is seen that the odeon with its back on the hillside and the agora form the city center. Around the water source at the bottom of the lower acropolis, there are many graves carved into the rocks and pile-burials, which have been severely destroyed by earthquakes during the antiquity.