With the Christmas season well and truly upon us, and only four (yes four!) more shopping days upon us, I was reminded the other day of a certain Turkish ancient site with Christmas connections.
Situated on the Lycian Coast, Myra’s main claim to fame is its associations with Saint Nicholas, aka Santa Claus. St Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra in the 4th century. His many endeavours include a tax reduction for Myra from Emperor Constantine and the destruction of many of Myra’s temples, including its renowned temple of Artemis. He was also apparently thrown into prison by Emperor Diocletian and rumour has it he participated in the Council of Nicaea.
The cult of St Nicholas spread, and as his various deeds which included his secret gift giving (hence the Father Christmas associations), resurrecting children who’d been killed by a butcher, and assisting sailors. And so he is now, amongst many, the patron saint of children, sailors, merchants and those unjustly imprisoned as well as the patron saint of Greece and Russia.
When St. Nicholas died, Myra became a rich pilgrimage centre, but in 1087, his relics were transported by Italian sailors to Bari in Italy during a Seljuk invasion. Bari also is a pilgrimage site although in 2009, Turkey requested the relics be returned to Myra.
When I was a tour leader for an adventure travel company, we would visit the ancient site at Myra and the Church of St Nicholas before heading into the mountains. I’d give my spiel about its history to the group, explaining although an outer wall is thought to date from 5 BC, there are no records of the city before the first century. Myra played an important part in the Lycian Federation, and was said to be one of the six leading cities of the Lycian Union (the other five were Xanthos, Tlos, Pinara, Patara and Olympos).
Apparently the city was a veritable metropolis in early Christian times, with a bustling harbour and a population of some 50,000. Even before St Nicholas was on the scene, Myra had Christian connections with Saint Paul changing ships in the harbour en route to Rome, and a visit from St Luke apparently too.
Under Theodosius II, (408 to 450) Myra became the capital of the Byzantine Eparchy of Lycia but it began to decline and a combination of plagues, numerous Muslim raids and the harbour eventually silting up led the city to be abandoned in 11th century.
Having given my little talk about the history, I’d explain what people could see in the site. Much of the site is actually unexcavated, but there are some great, accessible (and several very inaccessible) Lycian rock tombs and a number of interesting carved stone masks. There is also an impressive theatre and I would sit looking at the now ruined stage, trying to imagine what the city would have been like in its heyday.
But it wasn’t an image of Santa Claus which brought this lovely ancient site to the forefront of my memory. It was a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on a recently hot day in Adelaide. Why a glass of orange juice I hear you ask?
Myra is situated in a very fertile valley. There are many greenhouses growing tomatoes, eggplant (or aubergine for my British readers!), orchards, and orange groves.
As you exit the ancient site of Myra, there is a huge line of orange juice traders who are desperate to relieve you of the tourist dollar – and on a hot day, you will gladly part with it.
Christmas really does comes to some Myra traders every time a tourist bus draws up.
wadders007 