KEKOVA MYRA

In Myra,excavations and research begun in 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Mediterranean Univercity,are still in progres.Originally called Muri,the origin of the city’s name is the myrtle plant,from which the renowned Myra oil is produced.Myra was known as Stamirra in medieval charts,as Al-mira in Idrisi and,later,as Demre.The city is associated with Artemis,the goddess of the forests and the moon.As one of Lycia’s most important settlements in the classical period,Myra was a member of the Lycian Union established at the beginning of the 2nd century BC and held three votes as one of the empire’s six most populous cities;even at the beginning of the 1 st century BC ,Myra was considered a metropolis.It was also an important city during the Roman Imperial period,,as indicated by an inscription regarding the Lycian Union custom law during the rule of Nero,discovered in the andriake.St.Paulus visited Lycia during this period;the Hadrian Period witnessed the most intensive reconstrucion activities,including the Myra Teatre and Bathhouse,as well as imporetant structures as the Andriake,the granarium and the port agora.