MYRA/DEMRE-KALE

Located at the southeastern end of the Teke peninsula, the plain of Demre is formed by the alluvia carried by Demre creek as it springs from the slopes of Mount Akdağ and reaches the sea, carrying with it the soil of Kasaba plain. The remains of the ancient city of Myra, established at a point where the semicircular plain of Demre, formed by the arc of the Taurus Mountains towards the north which then bends towards the sea, joins the hillside are reached by passing through the district. Demre is today one of the foremost touristic centres of the region thanks to, primarily, the Church of St. Nicholas and its unique rock tombs as well as the splendid coast. In the Luwian/Etruscan language the name of the city is found to be “Maura” which meant “Place of the Great Mother Goddess”. Over the years it changed, first to “Mura” and then to Myra. Moreover, the name Myra can be meaningfully read in the old Gök Turk writing. Accordingly, the name Myra can be read as “place of Amay” meaning “place of Amay Mother-Great Mother”. Lying on the slope of the mountains, surrounding the plain of Demre in the northwest, facing the sea, the remains of the acropolis city can be seen. The walls of the acropolis, at an elevation of 200 m, were built of Cyclopean stones. It is understood that the history of the area, referred to as Termilia in the Lycian inscriptions, dates back to several thousand years B.C. After the establishment of the Lycian Federation during the 7th century B.C. the city people moved down from the acropolis and settled on the plain where the current remains of the ancient city are found. Myra minted its first coin with a depiction of the mother goddess on it during the 4th century B.C. Myra, which was one of the major cities of the Lycian Federation, having the right of three votes, remained under Persian occupation until 300 B.C. and was then captured by pirates. At the point where Myra creek, dried up today, flowed into the Mediterranean after running through the city there was a port settlement unit named Andriake. Due to the unsuitability of the river bed for ship transportation, the ships entering the river could go right into the city of Myra. Thus the city, with its highly developed maritime commerce, was exposed to invasions during various periods. Therefore, in order to protect Myra, essentially a major city, thick chains were drawn at the mouth of the river in the port of Andriake to prevent the entry of enemy ships in times of danger. When these chains were broken by the Roman Lentulus in 42 B.C. the city was seized by the Romans. Myra enjoyed the peak of its prosperity when it was adorned with various structures during the Pax Romana era. The city, which was promoted to the status of a metropolis during the Byzantine period in the 2nd century A.D., became a major centre of Christianity and achieved great fame as a result of the efforts of a bishop named St. Nicholas who lived during the 4th century. When St. Nicholas died here a church was built in his name. The city, which sustained damages as a result of the Arab raids during the 7th and 9th centuries, remained under Arab occupation for a while and when Turks came to the area during the late 11th century they settled down on the flatland in front of the Ancient City of Myra and established today’s district of Demre.

Today Demre is the centre of citrus fruit groves and greenhouses. The remains of the antique city lie in the area called Kocademre located 1 km to the north of the district. The first notable work in the area where the remains are found is the theatre. The theatre, with a diameter of 110 m, reckoned to have been rebuilt in the 2nd century A.D. upon the remains of the small theatre which existed previously, bears the architectural characteristics of the Roman era. In front of the theatre, next to the creek Demre, it is thought that a large Agora existed, surrounded by Doric order columns. The Agora square, which also appears to have been used as a theatre square, is today entirely buried under the silt. Theatre tiers were built into the side of the acropolis hill and two vomitory spectator entrance sites, in which flights of stone steps rising equal to the stage building in height can be seen. Spectators entering the theatre at these points came to the diazoma and from the diazoma they reached, again via flights of vertical stone steps, the lower and upper caveas. The caveas are divided into two by a diazoma measuring 3 m in width, with 29 tiers on the lower section and 9 tiers on the upper section. In the very midst of the diazoma is a relief of Fortune, Goddess of Luck, on the wall at the point corresponding to the apsis. An apsis to be drawn from this relief corresponds exactly to the midpoint of the orchestra. A stone protection wall built at a height of 2 m during the late Roman epoch indicates that the Theatre was also used as an arena for gladiator combat and wild animals during this era. It appears that the stage building was two-storeyed and that on the first floor of the front façade arched niches between columns of Ionic orders were faced with marble plates embellished with rich plant reliefs. Furthermore, the lower section of the podium of the stage building is embellished with friezes ornamented with theatre masks, reliefs and various plants. At the entrance of the theatre is an inscription giving information on the funding and rebuilding, by Opramoas from Rodiapolis, of the theatre which was ruined as a result of the great earthquake in 141 A.D. On an inscription found on the ground at the southern entrance of the theatre, on the other hand, is an obelisk setting out the import and export conditions of the city. Although the foundation of the acropolis walls located immediately to the north of the theatre dates back to very ancient eras, it is understood that their upper part was rebuilt in the 6th century B.C. To the western side of the walls made of dressed stone using the polygonal technique is the old city gate, 4 m wide by 9 m high, visible. Towers were built on both sides of the gate. To the eastern slope of the acropolis, on the other hand, are the remains of an aqueduct, 20 km long. It is reckoned that through the connections of water canals built by rock-carving at occasional places this aqueduct carried fresh water from the tablelands in the north into the city. In ancient times the antique city of Myra was protected in its environs by several walls at various points up to Andriake, its port connection, and along Demre creek, and by way of building guard and watch towers at specific points its river trade was intended to be taken under protection. The most important ruin of the ancient city of Myra visible today is the Necropolis full of Lycian rock tombs, the only one of its kind in the world. As Lycians believed that, after death, the spirits of humans would be taken by a winged angel and brought first to the heavens and then underground to hell, or Hades, to be questioned, they always put their dead into sarcophagi placed on a high rocky podium or in the rock tombs carved into the rock face high up on the mountains. These rock tombs, also found in Myra, have been carved into a sheer slope facing east. These house-type tombs carved into the front façades had one or several chambers and the dead were placed into the chamber, again onto a rock-carved podium, together with their favourite articles, jewellery, clothes and food. The rock tombs had a single entrance which was closed with a large boulder. On the face of the rock tombs are reliefs about the professions of the dead when they were alive. Inscriptions on the tombs were all written in the Lycian language and spaces between tombs were interconnected via stone steps. A rock tomb located at the topmost point with the façade carved in the form of a columnar temple is notable for its reliefs. Here, the family members, wife and children of the dead are stylised in clothing of the era and he himself in his warrior’s outfits. Various instants from the person’s life are depicted. Going westwards one arrives at a rock tomb on which the relief of two warriors is carved. Here, an instant in which a warrior behind, with a shield in his right hand, chases a soldier in front of him is illustrated. East of the theatre the remains of a bathhouse can be seen, with three arches and high chambers, 36 m wide and built of brick in three sections with a large arched door at the entrance. There are shops selling authentic local souvenirs, cafeterias and restaurants in the area where the remains are found.

ST. NICHOLAS- FATHER CHRISTMAS St. Nicholas, who was born in Patara in around 300 A.D., served as a bishop in the city of Myra where he died. St. Nicholas, who was believed to have worked various miracles in his time, was regarded as the greatest protector and guard of sailors, merchants, the poor and wretched, and, above all, children. Even today, he is believed to bring presents to children in the whole Christian world on Christmas Day every year. In the western world, Father Christmas is portrayed differently in different Christian countries depending on their respective geographical characteristics: In Scandinavian countries he is portrayed bringing presents to children riding on a sleigh drawn by reindeer whereas in the Mediterranean countries he is pictured in his red costume delivering his presents by entering through the door and down chimneys. Indeed, we should point out that the origin of these Christmas celebrations on December 25th dates back to very ancient times, that is, to the pagan holiday celebrations of the “Rise of the Invisible Sun/Amon Ra”. As a matter of fact, the mass, referred to as “Natalis Invecni Soli” in Latin, celebrating the start of winter, continued to be practiced until the 3rd century A.D. when it was adopted by the Christians. St. Nicholas, who was essentially a humanist bishop and is understood to have adopted a lifestyle that emphasised love among people, was born in Patara as the child of a rich family. His parents were the richest family of the city and they had very strong religious beliefs. Nicholas, who stood upright when washed in the basin as a baby, was nursed by his mother only on Wednesdays and Fridays. In his youth, instead of playing with his friends, he used to go to the church regularly and study the sacred script. Later, he studied theology at the monastery in Xanthos. After the death of his parents, he dedicated his life to helping people. One day, he was deeply affected by what he heard while passing by his neighbour’s house in Myra and decided to do something about it. The tale of his first deed is as follows: His neighbour was a very devout but extremely poor man with three daughters. He had no money for dowry for his daughters and according to the customs of the day a dowry was necessary for girls to marry. He did not know what to do and blamed himself for his poverty thinking that he was being punished for his sins. He prayed day and night. His daughters kept telling him that he should sell himself at the slave market to get the money for their dowry. Hearing this conversation, Nicholas threw a bag of gold through the window and walked away. The next night, he threw in another bag of gold but this time his neighbour spotted him. He came running after Nicholas and fell on his knees to thank him. Nicholas told his neighbour never to mention his good deed to anybody. During this time, there was an election for a bishop in the church in Myra. Since there were many nominees, it was taking a long time to elect one. One night, the oldest member of the church council had a revelation. A voice told him that a person named Nicholas would be the first one to enter through the door of the church to attend the mass next morning and that he should become the bishop. Indeed, Nicholas would be the first one to come to the morning mass and he was immediately seated in the chair for bishops. While he was a bishop, he treated everyone the same. His advice was convincing and he talked quickly but softly. He used to pray day and night, and stayed away from gatherings of women. He represented Myra in the Iznik Council in 325 A.D. One day, a group of sailors, who had never met Nicholas, but had heard of his reputation, was caught in a storm and their ship was about to sink. They began to pray and ask for the help of Nicholas. Suddenly, they saw his apparition which told them, “Look, I am here. You have called me and I will help you”. The storm subsided quickly and the apparition helped them repair the broken ship mast and the torn sail. When the sailors reached Myra, they went directly to the church to thank Nicholas. When he heard the sailors’ story, Nicholas said, “It wasn’t me who helped you; It was God’s gift to you in return of your strong belief in Him.” While Nicholas was a bishop in Myra, famine broke out in the area. One day he heard that one of the ships which had stopped in the harbour of Myra on its way to Alexandria, was carrying wheat. He asked the sailors to give the wheat to the citizens of Myra but they refused saying that the wheat belonged to the emperor and that they were not authorized to give it away. When Nicholas convinced them that they had nothing to worry about and that he would pray for them, they let him take and distribute that wheat to the starving people. There was enough wheat to feed them for two years. When the ship reached Alexandria and its storage compartments were opened, the sailors saw that there was no wheat missing and the compartments were full to the rim. Through legends and miracles such as these, Nicholas became famous all over the world. With his generosity and love for people, he won the hearts of people everywhere and he was canonized after his death. In Europe, he was considered the protector of many cities, too. Today, St. Nicholas Celebrations in Myra take place every year on December 6. In 1955, a postage stamp was issued in Turkey to honour Santa Claus and since 1981 international symposiums have been organized on his life by the Ministry of Tourism. It is hoped that celebrations such as these will establish strong relations between the eastern and western worlds, improve human relations and contribute to world peace. For this reason, a Peace Park was built in Demre in 1993. The Church of St. Nicholas The temple which had been built to honor Artemis Euthera (formerly Cybele, the mother goddess of Anatolia) collapsed in a major earthquake in the 2nd century A.D. It is presumed that an Orthodox church was built in the Byzantine era over the remains of this temple. We know that St. Nicholas died on December 6, 343 and his body was put in a marble Roman sarcophagus which was placed in the central apse on the South side of the church. During the Arab raids and invasions between the 7th and 9th centuries A.D. directed at the Southern Mediterranean, this church, too, was destroyed. In 1087, during the turbulent years of the late Byzantine era, the Italian merchants from Bari, who came to the area, broke the sarcophagus and took St. Nicholas’ remains to Italy. The thieves, in their hurry, left behind a few bones of the Saint which are on display in the Antalya Museum today. In the following years, the Russian czarina bought the land where the church is, and later the Russians repaired the church and its dome. A white marble sarcophagus, decorated with reliefs of various kinds of plants and ornamentations, is seen in the middle apse on the south side of the church. It belonged to St. Nicholas. The church is basically built like a basilica in the shape of an Orthodox cross. The large main section is in the centre and it is covered by a dome. On each side of the main section, there are two side halls, and on the southern side, there is a small square room and two corner rooms. The dome in the middle covering the main section is supported on the sides by semidomes. The main section is polygonal on the outside and has a window with a straight arch. A synthronon with 9 caveas, placed on an arched vestibule, is seen in the main section. Arched doorways lead to the side halls which give access to the other sections on the sides. The floors of these side rooms are covered either with coloured mosaics or with stone. Frescoes, on the way to extinction, are seen on the walls. They depict various religious events. The semicircular small apse of two small chapels are seen in the east. The small rooms added on during the Byzantine era are in the north and it appears that these were used for different purposes. There is a garden, surrounded by tall walls, at the end of the small rooms. Byzantine column capitals, pieces of marble reliefs, and sarcophagi are seen in the garden. In a corner of the garden, there is a rectangular basin and it is presumed that it was used to store the holy water. The church stayed under the silt for many years. After it was unearthed, it was repaired many times and survived up to the present time. The Turks who settled in the area respected St. Nicholas and did not damage the church.