Ottoman ceramics found at Santa Claus site in Antalya

The Santa Claus Museum in Antalya's Demre is one of the most visited places. Recent excavations there have unearthed Ottoman-era ceramics as well as Byzantine era artifacts Ottoman-era ceramics have been discovered during excavations at the Noel Baba (Santa Claus) Museum excavations in the southern province of Antalya's Demre district. 

One of the most visited places in Antalya, the Noel Baba Museum pursuing excavations in its western courtyard. 

The head of the excavations at the museum, Hacettepe University Faculty of History of Arts Professor Sema Do?an said that works continued on at a deep layer since Demre was filled with five-meters of alluvion in the 13th century. 

A nominee for the UNESCO World Heritage List, the museum had religious and political importance, said Do?an, adding that their biggest goal was to get the structure on the list. 

"We don't just excavate. We continue working even in winter months as long as our allowance is enough. We carry out excavations only in the summer months but we will continue conservation and restoration work in the winter, too." 

She said they had found Ottoman-era ceramics in an upper layer of soil during excavations, revealing important artifacts for the Noel Baba Museum. 

She said the Turkish-Ottoman era had a significant place in the history of Demre, adding that the team had found lots of 19th-century pots and pans used in daily life as well as Byzantine-era artifacts in the lower layers.

St Nicholas and Santa Claus 
Do?an explained that born in Patara, St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus and as a very important personality in Orthodox Christianity, lived in the 4th century and was a patriarch. 
She said St....