Turkey
Myra & Demre

Myra

Myra was a leading Lycian Union city.  Images are of Lycian rock-cut tombs, mostly from the 4th century BC.

Emperor Hadrian visited Myra in 131 AD.  The Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II made Myra the capital of the Byzantine Lycia.

This Greco-Roman theatre, as is typical, is built into the side of a mountain.

Composite capital composed of Corinthian bottom and Ionic top.

Demre

The Church of St. Nicholas it is build over the tomb of the martyred saint who was bishop of Myra.  This present church is from the 9th century.  In 1087 Italian merchants, during the Seljuk invasion, stole the saints body and transported it to Bari, Italy.  Such is the confusion on the origination of the St. Nicholas legend.

Cappadocia:        Ankara        Hattusa        Ozkonak        Uchisar        Yazilikaya
Istanbul:        Around Town        Blue Mosque        Hagia Sophia        Topkapi Palace
South Coast:        Antalya        Aspendos        Myra & Demre        Perge        Xanthos
South West Inland:        Konya        Aphrodisias        Pamukkale        Sagalassos        Sardis
West Coast:   Izmir    Assos    Didyma    Ephesus    Gallipoli    Miletus    Pergamum    Priene    Troy

Pictures by Tom Aprille                                            Return