Patara : It is an ancient city near the Kalkan town of Antalya’s Kas district. Patara is a Lycian city and was the capital of the Lycian League. It is one of the six cities of the Lycian union with three voting rights, and perhaps the most important. Lycian union meetings were held in the council building of the union in the city. Known as Patar in Hittite and Pttara in Lycian language, the existence of the city in the 8th century BC has been confirmed by the concrete data obtained as a result of the excavations and it is known that it was among the cities besieged by Alexander. Patara was also a very important city during the Roman period and was the capital of the Lycian-Pamphilian states. The port of Patara was important in terms of grain storage and shipping, so one of the three grain warehouses (Granarium) in the eastern Mediterranean is located in Patara.
The city, which continued its development in the Byzantine period, was also considered important by the Christians. Saint Nicholas, known as Santa Claus, is also said to be from Patara. Patara harbor, which is 400 meters wide and 1600 meters deep, starts to fill with sand and boats have difficulty in docking, causing Patara to lose its importance. Sand blown by the wind fills the harbor over time and covers the city to a large extent. It will be noteworthy that some of the ruins that can be seen in the city today are under the sands.
However, with the archaeological excavations carried out in recent years, the city has begun to be purified from the sands that cover it. One of the most magnificent ruins in Patara, the Roman Triumphal Arch (Metius Modestus) can be seen on the side of the road, 2 km after the village of Gelemis. Triumphal Arch, M.S. It was built at the end of the 1st century. Among the ruins that can be seen towards the hill are the Byzantine basilica and sanctuaries. The theater is on the slope of the hill. There is a large cistern and a mausoleum on the hill where the theater leans. The old port is now a wetland.
