Patara Ancient City and Patara Beach

Where is Patara Ancient City?

The ancient city of Patara is located in the southwest of the Xanthos Valley, between Fethiye and Kalkan, within the borders of Ovagelmiş Village, which is now known.

Patara Ancient City History

It is possible to witness a breathtaking view covering a century of history here… Patara, the largest and most important port of the Lycian civilization, has the world's oldest known lighthouse and parliament building. The peculiarity of the parliament building here is that it is the first parliament building in history that is maintained by democratic methods. What a privilege, isn't it? It was built during the democratic administration period and 3 cities of Patara had voting rights among 6 other Lycian cities. Each one of them fascinates people and gives a tremendous feeling as if you are traveling in time. Archaeological excavations here have been continuing systematically and very limitedly since 1988.

Patara, which has a very deep history, had a very important place not only in the Lycian period but also in the Byzantine period. Saint Nicolas, known as Santa Claus and legendary as the person who lived at the North Pole and traveled with his deer sleigh, and distributed gifts to children at Christmas time, is an archbishop born in Patara.

Where is the Enormous Patara Beach?

When you continue walking after the first shock of the ancient city, you should be ready for a second shocking shock. Here is the very famous Patara Beach... The 16 km long beach, which looks endless and endless, has a magnificent structure that will make you forget all the beaches you have seen before.

Patara Beach Caretta Carettas

Another wonderful event that gives people the joy of life is the Caretta Caretta on Patara Beach! This is their spawning ground and is protected by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). This place is under strict protection. In order not to frighten the Caretta Caretta, it is forbidden even to enter the beach at night and turn on the light. Because Caretta Caretta reach the sea by following the glow of the sea that appears in front of them when they have just hatched. It's like a fairy tale, isn't it?

Patara Beach provides an advantage for those who want to do water sports as it has a windy climate most of the time. It offers a great place both in terms of ambiance and climate, especially for surfing. Surfing events are also organized frequently. Patara awaits surfers this summer!

Patara Beach has a suitable structure for non-swimmers and children as the sea is shallow. Patara steals our hearts in every way, with every feature!

Is Patara Beach Like a Desert?

If we talk about the history of Patara Beach, it is known that Alexander the Great rested his fleet here in the past. It is clear why Alexander the Great chose this place. The sound of the wind and waves here reminds me of a peaceful melody when they come together.

Patara Beach surprises all its visitors with its desert-like nature. Another interesting piece of information is that the desert scenes in old Turkish movies were shot at Patara Beach. We think that no one does not remember the scenes of the famous movie "Green Valley is ours" and Adile Naşit, Kemal Sunal, Ayşen Gruda, Şener Şen rolling in the sands...

While talking about Patara Beach in such detail, it is impossible to pass without mentioning the sunset view this place offers… It has such an ambiance in terms of depth of field and location that you never want the sun to disappear from the horizon line, you want this view to last forever. The best activity to do here is to take a bottle of wine with you and watch the sunset with your loved ones. There is a majesty that you can never experience through another person's narration, but only when you experience it. If you haven't met yet, we say that you should not miss Patara Beach this summer.

Take a Historical Journey with the Ancient City of Xanthos

The city of Xanthos was besieged by Harpagos in 545-546 years before Christ. The people of Xanthos resisted this siege and resisted for a long time. But despite all their efforts, when they are left without resistance, the city falls to Harpgos after a war that resulted in the deaths of many people. Between 475-450 years before Christ, Xanthos is faced with a fire. Alexander the Great took over the city after this event. After Alexander the Great died, Aanthos passed under the rule of the Egyptian Dynasty, Syrian King Antiochus III, since 309 before Christ. It is understood from these power wars that it is a very valuable region. Again, the city of Xanthos, whose fate did not smile, was destroyed by the Roman Brutus in 42 before Christ. However, after this grave event, the city was reconstructed with the efforts of Emperor Mark Antony. The structures built in the name of Emperor Vespasian and surviving today consist of the works of this period. Xanthos, which was the episcopacy center during Byzantine rule, gained many new structures in this period. The Arab raids after the 7th century caused the city to lose its importance and it lived in Kınık, next to it, as a small village, until Charles Fellows discovered this place and moved some of its ruins to London in 1938.

The Story of the Ancient City of Patara

Patara is an ancient city in the Kalkan town of Kaş district of Antalya. The pottery fragments found in the excavations in the Tepecik Acropolis, located in the southwest of the Xanthos Valley, date back to the 4th century BC. It certainly existed in the 8th century. It gained importance as it was the capital of the Lycian union, which means 'land of light' for a long time. The name of the city is Patar in Hittite; It was used as Pttara in the Lycian language and has come to this day as Patara.