As soon as one thinks about sunny Turkey, stretches of sand beaches and all-inclusive resorts come to mind. However, not everyone comes there to bask in the sun on a beach, some come looking for new knowledge to discover history’s secrets. And while hot parties in Bodrum’s nightclubs and Marmaris’ azure lagoons with white yachts await the former, the latter can explore the whole town in the vicinity of Demre, Myra, the pearl of Ancient Empire.

The first mention of this town as the capital of Lycia dates from the 4th century BCE. Most ruins that have survived to this day were also mentioned during this century. It was the birthplace of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. There, the ancient church of St. Nicholas was built, and it can still be visited today. For many centuries, Myra remained a prosperous town for the Romans. That explains its rich heritage, magnificent landmarks of ancient architecture that couldn’t be destroyed either by Arab raids or by new Seljuk city planners.

Just like many centuries ago, there is a huge stone amphitheatre that was greeted by the Ancient Greeks even before the arrival of the Romans. The giant Greco-Roman arena with fantastic acoustics could fit over 10 thousand spectators. It served as a stage for both theatrical performances and gladiatorial games. Now it is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists. They step on the same stones, touch the same columns as Lycian rules and Roman emperors.

Not far from the ancient theatre survived even older constructions, the famous Lycian graves, carved into the rock over 2 thousand years ago. Some of them are decorated with inscriptions and symbols the meaning of which remains a mystery to this day. All of those ancient secrets of Myra attract as many tourists as exotic beaches, refreshing cocktails and catchy music beats, because each one of us hopes to discover something new and unexplored someday.