Demre Myra Kekova From Antalya

Demre Myra Kekova From Antalya

Demre Myra Kekova Tour From Antalya A journey for people who want to know about the ancient Christian shrine and the mysterious world of antiquity. Our journey will begin with a visit of the ancient Lycian city Mira, the ruins of which are located near the modern city of Demre. The ancient city Mira is known as a place of pilgrimage and holy faith.The city where Saint Nicholas lived and preached.The date of its foundation is unknown; however, according to the Lycian inscriptions, it was already in place in the fifth century BC.The Mira was one of the largest cities in Lycia and its was the capital. The Church of St.

Nicholas is fairly considered as the third most important religious construction of Byzantine architecture in the East. In the church, there are well preserved icons, frescoes, mosaic floors and a sarcophagus, and the imperishable relics of Saint Nicholas have also remained. But the relics themselves are no longer in the sarcophagus, they were transported to the city of Bari in Italy a long time ago.Demre, Myra and Kekova Currently, the church is inactive and you can visit it as a museum. Only one day a year, on December 6, on the feast day of Saint Nicholas, thousands of Christian pilgrims gather in the church for worshipping. At the top of the cliffs surrounding the city, there is a necropolis with a great number of Lycian rock tombs. Lycians believed that the deceased one should be buried as high as possible near the sky as it would help them sooner to get to paradise.

Near the tombs, there is a large Greco-Roman amphitheater, which can accommodate up to 10 thousand people. The amphitheater was not only used for theatrical productions, but also sacrifices, public trials, executions, and gladiatorial fights.  Traveling on a yacht to the sunken cities of the island of Kekova is the brightest and most picturesque part of an excursion to the historical places of ancient Lycia. When you swim around the island on a yacht, you can see the remains of 4 ancient cities: Teimussa, Dolihiste, Aperlai and