There is no clear information about the original construction date of the fortress.
In the 15th century, the Knights of the Order of St John, who had their seat on Rhodes from 1310 to 1530, built a Crusader castle on the Acropolis with the support of the Genoese, the ruins of which are still visible today. In some places it is still easy to see that remains of much older buildings have been included.

In ancient times the name of the city was Telmessos. The city was first mentioned under the name Telmessos in the 5th century B.C. as a member of the Attic-Dellic Sea Alliance. From the 4th century BC it was under Lycian rule. Telmessos together with the ruined city of Kadyanda, situated about 18 kilometres north in the mountains near Üzümlü, formed the western border of the ancient Lycian League of Cities.

From the 8th century, in Byzantine times, it was called Anastasiopolis after the Emperor Anastasios II. Since 1424, the city was called Megri or Greek Makri, which means distant city. In 1914 it was renamed Fethiye in honour of the first Turkish military pilot Fethi Bey, who died that year near Tiberias.

A severe earthquake of magnitude 7.1 destroyed on 25 April 1957 most of the city and the Crusader Castle, sixteen people were killed and almost one hundred injured. Already in 1856 the city was affected by a strong earthquake. In August 2004 and June 2012, there were also significant earthquakes with some injuries and damage.