Mud-Covered Myra Could Be Well Preserved

News January 9, 2013

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DEMRE, TURKEY—Turkey’s ancient city of Myra was known as the home of the fourth-century Christian Saint Nicholas, and was a popular pilgrimage site until it was buried in river mud 700 years ago. A survey conducted with ground-penetrating radar suggests that much of the city may still be intact beneath the modern town. So far, Nevzat Cevik of Akdeniz University has uncovered a thirteenth-century chapel. “This means we can find the original city, like Pompeii,” he said.

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