Medusa Bar & Camping Patara

Bar

The bar’s wooden floor is adorned with the distinctive and colourful rugs of Anatolia. Along with kilms, there are divans on which to relax and sini (round copper plates) from which to eat and drink. Family portraits, jazz posters and musical instruments hang on the walls and are signs of the owner’s passions. The inside of the bar with its wooden beams gives the visitor the sense of a typical Anatolian interior. It offers a warm Turkish welcome to all visitors.

The bar has many private and secluded areas where people can relax on sofas or the bamboo chairs and enjoy each others company. This ambiance combined with the diverse range of music from Pamir’s music collection means the Medusa Bar very quickly becomes an addiction. A window to the world is opened: feelings, ideas and cultures are shared. And it’s here that the foundations of lasting friendships are formed. Eating, drinking, singing and dancing are all part of the Medusa experience. Locals and visitors can meet and share the Anatolian hospitality. Socially and economically the bar is an important resource to the village.

Pamir Yilmaz opened the Medusa Bar back in 1989 at a time when he recognized historical and natural richness of the area and also the importance of the protection of that heritage. For Pamir it was to be more than just a commercial venture and over the years it’s become a meeting place for those who share these values. The Medusa Bar, at the heart of the village, will continue to be a valuable hub for information, hospitality and fun.

Camping

A camping area extends to the backyard of the Medusa Bar. It’s the only official campground in Patara. The area for pitching tents and parking caravans is approximately 1000m² . This allows enough space for visitors to enjoy some personal space. Toilets and showers are available on site and there’s a spacious kitchen for cooking and washing.

The cost per day for these services is about € 9.

Patara

Patara is part of the province of Antalya, near the ports of Kas and Kalkan. Historically, Patara was a city of Lycia and became the capital of the Lycian Union at the Roman period. It was entitled to three votes in the Lycian League and was perhaps most important of the six cities in the union. Meetings of members of the Lycian League took place in the Parliament building.

The name of the city in the native language is “Pattara”. Written sources from the Hittite period, show evidence that the city existed under the name of “Lukka’s Patar”.

The port at Patara was 400 meters wide and 1600 meters in depth. Through time the port silted up through sand blown in from the coast. This made it difficult for sea vessels to accesss the port and gradually Patara began to lose its importance as a sea port and city.

Today, most of the city remains under the sand but parts of the ruins can be seen and explored. In recent years, arcaeological excavations have continued to uncover more of the hidden city. This has attracted the attention of many travellers to the area. And they continue to be drawn to the area by stories which tell that the god Apollo and Saint Nicholas, known to many as Santa Claus, were both born here. The road which runs at the back of the main highway will take you to the entrance of Patara which is marked by a triumphal Roman triple-arched gateway. This was built during the office of Mettius Modestus who governed the joint provinces of Lycia and Pamphylia in about AD 100. The arches were adorned on each side with the busts of Mettius Modestus and his family. There are some inscriptions on the consoles, one states that the gateway was erected by ‘the people of Patara, metropolis of Lycian nation’.

Patara beach is one of the longest and unspoilt beaches in the region. It’s an area of special importance for every year the logger head sea turtles lay their eggs on this beach. It benefits from being a protected site.

Arrival

Flight to Dalaman airport. You will need to take a taxi from the airport to the bus station in Dalaman town (a 10 minute ride) and then take a bus to Fethiye (approx half hour).

In Fethiye you should change to the Kas bus and ask the driver to let you off at Patara junction. This is where the main road joins the lane which takes you into the village. From there, if you feel energetic, you can walk, otherwise you can take a mini bus or taxi ride for the remaining 4 km’s into the village.