Patara City - Port - Cult

Patara Ancient City is located between Fethiye and Kalkan, at the southwestern tip of the Xanthos Valley, in today's Ovagelemiş Village, and is one of the most important and oldest cities of Lycia. The excavations of Patara Ancient City, which have been carried out since 1988 by Prof. Dr. Fahri Işık and his team from Akdeniz University, hold special importance not only for their archaeological and historical value but also as one of the rare beaches where Mediterranean sea turtles (Caretta-Carettas) have been laying their eggs and breeding for millions of years.

Patara became the leading city of Lycia when it came under Ptolemaic rule in the 3rd century BC. When Lycia began to be controlled by the Seleucid Kingdom at the beginning of the 2nd century BC, Patara was regarded as the capital of Lycia. This situation became official in 167/168 BC when Patara gained its autonomy against Rome and its independence against Rhodes, making Patara the capital of the Lycian League. Monumental structures such as the Assembly Building and the Theater, built during the Hellenistic Period in the capital, are parallel to this historical process. Patara did not lose its importance after coming under Roman rule, maintaining its significance as a center for the judicial affairs of Roman Governorships and as a naval base connecting Rome with its eastern provinces. In 43 AD, Lycia became a Roman province, and in 74 AD, Lycia and Pamphylia were united into a single province, and Patara continued to be its capital.