Patara
Patara's Triumphal Arch
The ancient city of Patara is situated
between Kalkan and Fethiye in the soutwest corner of the Xanthos Valley.
Patara was one of the oldest and most important cities of Lycia. It
was renowned as the birthplace of Apollo (as was Delos) and was famed for its oracle. Patara has a long history and was
already known by the Hittites as Patar. It was the principal port on
the coast of Lycia and during the Roman Era, Patara became the capital of
both the Lycian and Pamphylian provinces. During the Byzantine period,
Patara maintained its importance and became a Christian center. St.
Nicholas was born in Patara and St. Paul boarded a ship coming from Patara
when he set out for Rome. However, in later times the harbor silted up and
gradually the city lost its importance and became covered with sand dunes
and marshes.
Patara's most impressive landmark is undoubtedly the monumental
arch at
its entrance. This victory arch was built in 100 A.D. by the first Roman
governor of the joint provinces of Lycia and Pamphylia, Trebonius Proculus Mettius Modestus. Other important remains are the Roman
amphitheatre which has its roots in Hellenistic times and the recently
discovered Bouleuterion (Latin Odeon, meaning Parliament building).
Today, apart from archeology, Patara is
famous for its huge 50 m wide and 18 km long white sand beach, the longest and widest in Turkey
with a tide that allows body surfing. The nearby village of Gelemiş
offers the necessarry accomodation of pansiyons, bars and restaurants. The
beach, which was elected by the Sunday Times as the best beach in the
world, is not only popular with tourists but also with breeding turtles.
That's why in summer the beach area is off-limits after dark.
More about Patara and its history is
available on the
Lycian Turkey site.
Click on the thumbnails to get a greater picture
