Atlas from Space: Satellite View of Andriake, the port of Myra

The peninsula on the south side of the ancient port of Andriakē provided excellent shelter for the harbor. In ancient times the entire southern side was likely once an island (see Overview with ancient shoreline). Eventually, however, silts from the Myros River (now called the Demre Cayi) extended the land southward, joining the island to the mainland. The harbor itself filled in by silting of the Andriakos, putting an end to the city's prosperous sea-trade.

The main structure of Andriakē surviving to the present day is a granary built during the reign of the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138 CE). Beside this granary is a large heap of Murex shells, evidence that Andriake had an ongoing operation for the production of purple dye.

Want to go deeper?

The following are recommended to help you look deeper into the history and archaeology of Myra.

Recommended for purchase:

Claude E. Fant & Mitchell G. Reddish – A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey (Oxford, 2003). – Nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, including all the letters of Paul, most of Acts, and the Book of Revelation, are set in either Turkey or Greece. This book serves as a historical, biblical, and archaeological guide to most of these biblical sites. View excerpt

George Bean – Lycian Turkey Classic Guides to Turkey (London: John Murray, 1989).

Frank Sear – Roman Theatres: An Architectural Study. (Oxford, 2006). – Sear discusses Myra's theater and includes a plan (Plan 389, Pl. 128).on pp. 346-347.

Ekrem Akurgal – Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey: From Prehistoric Times Until the End of the Roman Empire (Haset Kirabevi, 1985). | cheaper, earlier edition – Akurgal was the archaeologist in charge of the excavation of the original Smyrna at Bayrakli.

Online resources:

Christine Eslik, PhD – Recent & current excavations at St. Nicholas Church and Andriakē

ANMED – Excavations at St. Nicholas Church – Frescoes (ANMED issue 2004-02). | "Excavations at Church of St. Nicholas in Myra-Demre" (ANMED issue 2006-04). | "Surveys in Andriake in 2005" (ANMED issue 2006-15).

Gerhard Forstenpointer, et al., "Purple-Dye Production in Lycia - Results of an Archaeozoological Field Survey in Andriake (South-west Turkey)." Oxford Journal of Archaeology 26, 2 (2007):201-214. (Available from EBSCO Journal Database through many public libraries).

Patty & Kemal Safyurek – Myra. See also their related site on Lycia, which is one of the most thorough and helpful available, including Lycian history, archaeology, photos, and much more.

Charles Fellows – An Account of Discoveries in Lycia (London: John Murray, 1840). Discusses Myra on pp. 196ff.

Lynn Levine – "Demre" in Frommer's Turkey 4th ed. (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley& Sons, 2006). 298-302 (299-301 unavailable online).

Luc Wouters – Photos of Myra.

Virtual tour (360° photos) – Frontal view of theater | View from orchestra | View from near top | Cliff tombs behind theater | Sarcophagus of St. Nicholas

Wikipedia – Myra | Demre

Andrys Basten – St. Nicholas Church (photo gallery)

Burak Sansal – Demre & Myra | St. Nicholas of Myra | Lycia and the Lycians – Sansal is a Turkish professional tour guide.