September 19, 1996

After traveling north of the Arctic Circle, after visiting Santa's post office in Finland, how interesting to learn that St. Nick didn't come from the North at all. The real Claus was in fact St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, Turkey. Just as the story goes, he made nocturnal visits to the homes of local children leaving gifts, including gold coins for the dowries of poor village girls. And the method of delivery? If a window were closed, St. Nicholas simply dropped the coins down the chimney.

After his death in the 4th century, St. Nicholas was canonized and given the title Patron Saint of Children. Today a statue stands in his tribute in front of the St. Nicholas Basilica in Myra. Every December, tourists gather here for the Santa Claus Commemoration Ceremony.

But Santa Claus aside, Myra is popular for another reason. On the edge of town lie the remains of an impressive Roman theater and, carved into the enormous cliff which forms its backdrop, is an incredible collection of Lycian rock tombs.

The Lycians, first mentioned in Hittite records dating from the 14th century BC, were an independent people with their own language and a fierce determination not to be conquered. The citizens of Lycia made an art of building monumental tombs, carving them directly into cliff walls. They resemble Ionic temples; rustic houses; pillar tombs with massive, rectangular grave chambers up to 26 feet high; and sarcophagi - giant treasure boxes with arched lids.

From the parking area we caught our first glimpse of these square holes cut into grey and golden colored rock, framed by ornate triangular roofs with scalloped edges. We walked to the cliff base for closer views and then over scattered pieces of theater stones. A tunnel of stacked stones lead us to the first rows of seats. From there we hoofed it to the top where a drop offered us views of more Lycian tombs. Some were carved so high we had to wonder how people, in a time void of cranes and jack hammers, could have constructed such masterpieces.