The Symbol of Antalya Has Changed: The Ancient City of Patara

When Antalya is called, Yivli Minaret being in the UNESCO World Heritage tent, which is unique in Turkish architecture, decorated with turquoise colored tiles for eight centuries comes to mind.

When you think about it, the ancient city of Olympus is famous for its caretta caretta.…

Of course, the clock tower is important.…

Then there's the orange, and speaking of oranges, there's the film festival: The Golden Orange Film Festival!

7-star hotels, traffic-free life of Antalya by counting the symbols we have seen the end! But as of this year, officially the star of Antalya was Patara, I think it would not be too wrong to say... Because the year 2020 selected as‘ Patara year’ fan the flames of this reputation.

So what makes Patara more special than any other ancient city? In fact, why is Antalya known as Patara?

Patara is located in the town of Kalkan, Kas District of Antalya. The birth of this ancient city dates back to the 8th century BC. Can you look back?...

The oldest myth about this city begins with mythological stories. It is stated that the water nymph Lycia and Paturus, son of Apollo founded Patara.

However, according to clear data rather than stories, it is seen that the Lycian civilization, one of the most important civilizations in the world, founded its capital in Patara in those years. Patara is in fact a strategically important transit route and is the heart of the trade.…

Patara continued to maintain its glory during the Roman period. The port of Patara, which was the capital of the Lycian-Pamphylian provinces, gained more importance during this period and one of the three grain stores in the Eastern Mediterranean was established in this city.…

Years have passed and this time the Byzantines have taken over the city! It's even said that the Christian Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, is from Patara…

Not only these;

• Patara, one of the 16 cities of the Lycian League with voting rights, is one of the cities besieged by Alexander the Great.
• The oldest surviving parliament building in the world is in this city.
• The world's oldest lighthouse built by the Roman Emperor Nero in 64 BC is also located in this city.
• The beaches of Patara are also one of the beaches where Mediterranean turtles, namely caretta caretta, have laid their eggs for millions of years.
• The sand dunes of Patara Beach, which resemble the desert and extend hundreds of meters in height at some points, are also important. Did you know that this exceptional beach with desert air at the bottom of the sea is also home to many Yeşilçam films?

Then you need not waste more time exploring the symbol of Antalya, Patara!