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Patara 194 pictures 4 minutes HQ video Patara is located between Fethiye and Kalakan. Patara is famous on two accounts, as the birth-place of St. Nicholas who has entered into Christian tradition as father Christmas and for having long been the seat of a famous oracle to Apollo. It was Herodotus who wrote about the importance of the oracle, second only to that of Delphi. Founded, according to legend, by Patarus son of Apollo and the nymph Lycia during the 5^th century B.C., its Lycian name was Pttara or Pttaraza. It was also called Arsina, when it fell under Egyptian rule and Ptolemy II changed its name in honor of his sister who he also married. The city of Patara possessed one of the principal harbors of Lykia. It was one of the main trading and naval ports, before it was entirely silted up to form a wide beach. During the Roman Empire, Patara was the judical seat of the Roman governor, and the city became the capital of both the Lykian and Pamphylian provinces. The city was visited by Hadrian and his wife Sabina. Monumental Arch The gate of the city. This triumphal arch was built in 100 A.D., by the Roman governor Mettius Modestus. At the same time, this arch was used as a part of the aqueduct that brought water to Patara. Hurmalik Thermal Roman bath. Theater The stage building was built in the middle of the 2^nd century A.D. An inscription on the eastern side of the skene indicates that it was built by Velia Prouila and her father in 147 A.D. Administration Building This building is known as Anatolia's largest administration building. Main Avenue This is Anatolia's widest main avenue, 12.5 meters in width and covered in marble. On the western part of the avenue there is a stoa, which opens out to several roads. Small Bath Granary of Hadrian Located on the north-west of the swamp, this building called the horrea or granarium, was divided into eight sections. Corinthian temple Constructed in the 2^nd century A.D. , had plenty of architectural ornamentation. Tombs Back to Turkey Index