 |
The
ruins of the ancient acropolis are seen overlooking the sea, on the side
of the mountains bordering the northwest of the demre plain. The citywalls
of the acropolis, located
at
an altitude of 200 m. are constructed of stone. In the inscriptions in
Lykian, unearthedin the area, the region and its environs are refered to
as Thermilia indicating that the history of the region goes back to the
2nd millennium B.C. |
| When
the Lykian League was organized in the 7th century B.C., the citizens of
MYRA left the acropolis and settled in the plain where the remains of the
ancient city are found. They constructed many building, improved their
city and thus realized urbanization.The first Myran coin was minted in
the 4th century B.C., and it had a relief of the mother goddes. |
|
Myra
which was one of the cities that possessesed three votesin the Lykian League,
remained under the persian rule until the 3th century B.C. later, it was
ruled by pirates for a certain period of time. A community called Andriake
was established in the area where the Myra Creek, after passing through
today's village, flows into the Mediterranean. Since the river allowed
navigation, ships could reach the town of Myra and therefore it developed
rapidly due to shiping trade.
The town
was invaded many times over the years. In order to defend the main city
of Myra, a thick chain was stretched across the mouth of the river at the
Habour of Andriake to stop the enemy ships from entering the river. In
61 B.C., the apostle St. Paul, on his way to Rome, stoped in Myra and spend
sometime here. In 42 B.C., Lentulus succeeded in breaking the
chain,
and thus the Romans captured the town. During pax Romana, many buildings
were constructed in Myra and it was Myra's golden age. In the 2nd century
A.D. and in the
Byzantine
period, Myra becama a metropolis and an important city in the Christian
world.
As
the rumors about the deeds of St. Nicholas, who lived in the 4th century,
spread, the
town
gained popularity.
 |
When
St. Nicholas died Myrans built a church for him. The town was destroyed
during the arab invasions in the 7th and 9th centuries and stayed under
the arab rule for some time.
The
Turks who came to the area in the
11th
century settled in the flat plain in front of the ancient city of Myra
and established today's Demre (Kale) county. |
The remains
of the ancient city, today, are in Kocademre, 1 km. to the north of the
county. |
