Demre is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Antalya Province Antalya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. It is located on the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taur ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its area is 329 km², and its population is 27,691 (2022). It was named after the river Demre. Demre is the

Lycia Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...

n town of

Myra Myra (; , ''Mýra'') was a city in Lycia. The city was probably founded by Lycians on the river Myros (; Turkish: ''Demre Çay''), in the fertile alluvial plain between, the Massikytos range (Turkish: ''Alaca Dağ'') and the Aegean Sea. By the ...

, the home of Saint Nicholas of Myra. The district was known as ''Kale'' until it was renamed in 2005. A substantial

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

community of

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

lived in Demre until the 1920s when they migrated to

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

as part of the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. A small population of Turkish farmers moved into the region when the Greeks migrated. The region is popular with tourists today, particularly

pilgrims who visit the tomb of Saint Nicholas.

Geography

Demre is on the coast of the Teke peninsula, west of the bay of Antalya, with the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar,'' Greek language, Greek'':'' Ταύρος) are a mountain range, mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal reg ...

behind. The mountains are forested and the coastal strip is made of good soil brought down by the mountain rivers. The climate is the typical Mediterranean pattern of hot dry summers and warm wet winters. Before the tourism boom began in the 1980s, the local economy depended on agriculture, which is still important today. The villages of Demre grow pomegranates and citrus fruits and now a large quantity of fruits and vegetables all year round in greenhouses. Also with its rich history, attractions like the island of Kekova, the sea and warm weather, this coast is very popular with holidaymakers from Turkey and all over Europe, although Demre still does not have the high volume of tourists enjoyed by districts nearer

Antalya Airport Antalya Airport is a major international airport located northeast of the city centre of Antalya, Turkey. It is a major destination during the European summer leisure season due to its location at the country's Mediterranean coast. It handled ...

. Some local handicrafts like rug making, and events such as the annual camel wrestling festival bring in extra income. The local cuisine includes fish and other seafood from the Mediterranean. File:Unnamed Road, 07570 Kaleüçağız-Demre-Antalya, Turkey - panoramio (12).jpg, Rocky coast in Demre File:Unnamed Road, 07570 Kaleüçağız-Demre-Antalya, Turkey - panoramio (14).jpg, A view of coastal homes and the castle File:Ancient Lycian Tombs - 2014.10 - panoramio.jpg, Ancient

n Tombs overlooking the coast File:Unnamed Road, 07570 Kaleüçağız-Demre-Antalya, Turkey - panoramio (11).jpg, Demre Castle File:Demre - panoramio (6).jpg, A local mosque

Climate

Demre has a

hot-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa''), with very hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Composition

There are 17

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Demre District: * Alakent * Belören * Beymelek * Büyükkum * Çağman * Çevreli * Davazlar * Gökyazı * Gürses * Kaleüçağız * Kapaklı * Karabucak * Kayaaltı * Köşkerler * Küçükkum * Yavu * Yaylakaya

Demographics

The district has a population of 27,691 (2022). The town itself has 18,268 inhabitants.

History

See

for details of the history and archaeology of the city of Myra (today's Demre) and the history of Saint Nicholas of Myra (

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

). Myra was one of the most important cities in ancient

. Coins have been found dating back to 300 BC, but logically the city must have been founded centuries earlier. The city thrived as part of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

and many public buildings were built. In February 2021, Akdeniz University researchers led by Nevzat Çevik announced the discovery of dozens of 2,200-year-old

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

sculptures with inscriptions in

. Archaeologists also revealed some material remains of the Hellenistic theater made of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

, and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

. The figurines with partly preserved paint contained the appearances of men, women, cavalry, animals, some Greek deities and the names of artists.

Places of interest

* A number of tombs with a particular local style. * The Roman theatre and other remains of Roman

, in the town of Demre. * Tombs carved into the rocks. * The church of St Nicholas of Myra, honoring the bishop of Myra and the man popularly known as

. * The antique cities of Andriake and Simena * A boat trip to the islands and sunken ruins of Kekova.

References

External links

* *
Demre municipality

Photos from Demre
{{Authority control Turkish Riviera Antalya Former Greek towns in Turkey Populated places in Antalya Province Districts of Antalya Province Lycia Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey