Patara Ancient City Excavations

Assist. Prof. Dr. Şevket Aktaş

The excavations at Patara were conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye under the direction of Prof. Dr. Fahri Işık between 1988 and 2008. Since 2009, the project has continued under the direction of Prof. Dr. Havva Işık and a multidisciplinary scientific team.

Patara is situated just east of the Eşen River, which forms part of the provincial boundary between Antalya and Muğla. Administratively, the ancient city falls within the district of Kaş in Antalya Province and corresponds to the present-day settlement of Gelemiş.

The site can be reached via three principal routes of comparable length. The highland route follows the Antalya–Korkuteli–Söğüt–Fethiye/Kemer road, while an alternative inland route passes through Antalya–Korkuteli–Elmalı–Sütleğen. The coastal route follows the Antalya–Kemer–Finike–Kaş corridor. Each route is approximately 220 km in length.