At about 10 kms. beyond Kalkan on the Kalkan-Fethiye highway you turn south and continue 10 kms. along the road to Patara. The painted ceramics found in the acropolis prove that the city existed in the 5th century B.C. Patara opened its doors to Alexander the Great, thereby earning the status of an important harbour city, in addition to having been the birthplace of St. Nicholas. The triple gateway through which one enters Patara is thought to have been built in 100 A.D. One of its most important edifices is its theatre which is now buried in sand