Ancient Secrets of Antalya: MYRA - KALE - DEMRE

Santa Claus or Saint Nicholas  is the  patron saint the island of Sicily, Naples and Bari  of Italy, Frieburg of Germany and even the  city of New York in the United States today. The believers from all over the world who participate an internetional organization to commemorate religious  ceremony and rituals performed in the church of Santa Claus in Demre on the day of December 6 each year. We say that Santa Claus  is the symbol of Demre  for centuries.

Demre is a small town   of Antalya province in  the Mediterranean region and it is 145 kms far from Antalya city-centre. Demre has the borders  with Finike in the east, Kas in the south and Mediterrenean Sea in the west. The town was founded on the the land in which is surrounded by mountains on three sides and it is very fertile with the alluvial soil brought by Demre stream. Typical characteristics of Mediterranean climate can be seen in Demre district, summers are hot and winters are warm and rainy.

Demre is 145 km away from Antalya  international airport and has a good highway to reach. Every day, there are scheduled buses leaving from Antalya at certain hours  in the high season, from May and November.  Antalya-Demre highway is a scenic tree-lined road with sea view and it takes about 2 hours. Anybody who  uses a car to reach Demre enjoys driving so much.

Myra is always known as one of the most important cities of the Lycians. It is estimated that the establishment of Myra was in  5th century BC. Myra developed during the Roman rule and has enriched  its zennith during  Pax Romana-Roman peace, between the 1st and 2nd centuries. St. Paul visited Myra before moving from Andriake harbor to go to Rome. Myra has been an important administrative and religious center in Byzantine period. St. Nicholas served as bishop in Myra at the beginning of the fourth century AD and the people of Myra loved him so much.  Then Myra became a well-known  pilgrimage center visited by Christians so Demre has attracted the attention of the Christian world in all respects. 

Every year on December 6th, Santa Claus religious ritual has become a tradition  here. Demre was a small village during the Ottoman Empire and was known by the name Eynihal. It  has been a town in 1968 by the merger of four villages with a new name “ Kale-Castle” .In  2005 the name Kale was changed into Demre as the decision of Turkish government.