Patara

The Lycian city of Patara, lying on the south-west coast of Lycia on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey near the modern small town of Gelemiş, was originally settled by Greek colonists. The sun god Apollo was said to be the father of its founder, Patarus, hence comes the town’s name. Patara was firstly subject to Persian domination, before becoming subject to Alexander the Great’s empire. The Ptolemaic period that followed, the city changed its name to Arsinoe after the Greco-Egyptian co-ruler queen, but it did not last long. By that time, Patara was famous as a coastal city and therefore its harbor played a vital role in its history.

Evidence for this are the remains of a lighthouse, possibly the oldest in the world. In addition to these remains, Patara possesses several magnificent sites of ruins that consist of a theatre excavated in the northern side of a small hill, a ruined temple on the same side of the hill, and a deep circular pit which most probably has been the seat of the oracle, and inscribed stone sarcophagi, with sculptures and temple remains scattered along the way. Also, you can see ruins of a Roman bath and a hot spring, built during Roman emperor Hadrian's reign. Patara attracts both sunbathers and archaeologists, for its ancient ruins come with a bonus in the form of a wonderful white sand beach some 50km wide and 20km long that recently has been announced the beach around the globe.