Turkey Property | Myra (Demre)

Myra, see of Saint Nicholas - now best known as Father Christmas - is famed for its pre-Christian necropolises and large theatre.

Origins of the city in the south-western section of Turkey are obscure, with some scholars linking it to Mira in Arzawa, a place that is mentioned in the remarkable Amarna letters, correspondence between the Egyptian king Akhetaten, father of Tutankhamun and other monarchs in the region.

However, most modern thinkers reject this and trace its origins to the Greek and Roman period in the Lycian alliance, with the famous Classical geographer Strabo mentioning the site, where he remarked that it was one of the largest municipalities in the first century BC union.

Even the reason for the city's name is unknown, such is its mystery. What is known though is that it had the largest amphitheatre in Lycia, a mighty rock-cut theatre that even after an earthquake hit it in AD 141, was rebuilt. Visitors can view its remains, as well as the elaborate carvings of masks that once adorned the theatre.

Classical architecture also left its mark in the baths that have been partially excavated and in the temple to Artemis Eleuthera, a local version of the widely worshipped goddess, who has large temples at other important sites.

Emperor Hadrian raised a granary in the city and this is still visible from the road to nearby Demre, the modern village close to the site.

Although much of the city is now under river silt, at one time it had a large harbour, which had statues of the emperor Germanicus and his wife Agrippina raised in honour of their visit in AD 18.

It was also at this harbour that Saint Paul changed ships, marking the start of the Christian period that would see a rise in prominence for Myra. Although famous for the Apostle's alighting, it is Saint Nicholas, as fourth century bishop of the city, who afforded much international attraction to the metropolis. So many pilgrims visited the remains of 'Santa Claus' that sailors from Bari, in southern Italy, took his remains back with them in 1087, where they still rest to this day.

Despite this, the church that originally housed his body is still available to see and with its opus sectile, a mosaic of coloured marble, paintings and Greek sarcophagus, such that the lack of a saint's corpse does not detract most visitors from the place.

However, it is likely that the city would not have held onto his remains for that much longer. A sixth century plague decimated a third of the population, while the Muslim invasion and sieges of 809 and eleventh century finished it off.

It is perhaps appropriate then that in this dead city, the two main necropolis clusters are still a draw. Located above the theatre and originally decorated in colour with temple-front designs, this fourth century BC tombs with scenes of daily lives allow the city to live on.

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