Lycian Civilizations Museum takes visitors to ‘land of lights’

The Lycian Civilizations Museum in the southern province of Antalya stands out with its priceless works that provide information about the religious beliefs, economic and social life of the Lycian Union, where the first democratic practices in history were implemented.

A building that was built as a granarium (granary) in 129 B.C. in Andriake Ruins in the Demre district was turned into a museum and opened in 2016. The museum exhibits 1476 artifacts discovered during excavations in important cities of the union such as Patara, Myra, Xahthos, Tlos and Olympos.

The artifacts give clues about the religious beliefs, economic and social life of the Lycian people, who called themselves "the people of the land of lights," taking visitors on a journey through history.

To visit the museum, visitors have to pass through Andriake Ruins, the harbor quarter of the ancient city of Myra. They can see the historical roads around the harbor, bath, church, agora, cistern and the purple paint workshop made from the sea creature called "murex" among the centuries-old olive trees at the ruins, which is like an open-air museum.

Visitors also get the chance to see 126 different bird species at a stream called "bird paradise," which is right next to the museum.

In the museum, which shows animations of how cargoes were brought to the harbor in ancient times, visitors are first welcomed by the sculptures that were unearthed during the excavation conducted in the ancient city of Patara last year.

The artifacts such as customs inscriptions and votive steles with 12 gods, which shed light on the period they belong to, attract a great deal of tourist attention.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Nilüfer Sezgin, the museum's director, said...

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