Looking east towards Gemiler island (on the right of the picture).
To glimpse the fabled bones of Saint Nicholas, that most Christmassy of patron saints who inspired so many legends, you could visit the archaeological museum in Antalya, or travel to Italy and peer into the crypt of the grand Norman basilica in Bari, or even hop over to Chicago to see a fragment of his pelvis on display at the Shrine of All Saints. His relics, scattered across continents, have made him one of the world’s best-travelled saints, somewhat appropriately for the patron saint of seafarers. For years, you could even see a casket containing his jawbone enshrined in a beautiful Greek Orthodox church near the World Trade Centre in New York, until the church and its relics were sadly destroyed during the 2001 attack.
But to see the places where his relics were first worshipped, over 1500 years ago, I invite you to join one of my tours in Turkey. Here, in ancient Lycia, we can journey together to the remains of the city where Nicholas served as bishop, walk the landscapes where he performed his miracles, and explore the ancient harbours from which he embarked on his epic sea voyages.
One site on our tour always leaves our guests especially enthralled: a tiny, steep-sided island close to modern Fethiye, densely packed with the ruins of an ancient trading port. Barely visited until a comprehensive archaeological survey in the 1990s, the site on Gemiler Island has revealed much about the prosperity of maritime Lycia between the 4th and 6th centuries CE, and has filled a vital gap in the story of the worship of Nicholas as a saint after his death in the 4th century.
Looking west from the Lycian Way trail towards Gemiler and Karacaören islands, in the middle distance
An Approach by Sea to Gemiler Island
Our gulet engine quietens to a murmur as we ease round the headland and enter a wide open bay, its turquoise waters shimmering beneath our prow and framed by towering mountains.
We slowly approach a tiny islet, barely 200m in breadth, known in Turkish as Karacaoren, or the place of the black ruins. Soon we see why; this craggy, limestone islet is covered with the shattered remains of ancient tombs rising up to the skyline like weathered bones. It seems as if the entire island is a necropolis, but beguiling signs of other activity come into view; ancient mooring points and staircases carved into the rock leading to up to the tombs, and even the well-preserved remains of a church show that this was a cemetery whose dead were meant to be visited. A perfectly preserved masonry arch coming into view attests to the high status of these burial monuments. If this was the cemetery then where was the town?
Cruising slowly past the islet we steer deeper into the bay. A cluster of masts signal a sheltered harbour, tucked behind a larger island lying close to the shore, steep rugged sides rising to a pinnacle nearly 100m in height promising spectacular panoramic views of the entire bay and beyond.
Gulet anchored at Gemiler island. Ruins can be seen projecting out of the trees on the island.
This is Gemiler Island, and through from the approach it seems desolate, the true significance of this place is unveiled in spectacular fashion as we approach the sheltered anchorage on the leeward side. The sloping side of the island facing the mainland is covered in the ruins of ancient buildings for most of its1km length, fanning out from the pinnacle of the island right down the waterfront. Stone houses rise starkly from wooded slopes, some two or three stories high affording the long-departed residents grand vistas across the anchorage. We see at least two abandoned and crumbling churches on the skyline of the island, their stone apses arching above the trees—all visible from the deck of our gulet.
A Wealthy Entrepôt: Exploring the Island’s Ancient Ruins
Disembarking at an old wooden jetty, we’re transfixed by the aquarium of marine life busying itself in the clear waters. Beneath the surface, masonry walls reveal the foundations of waterfront harbour works, once supporting jetties, wharfs, storage buildings, workshops—all the trappings of a once-bustling entrepôt. Earthquakes and rising sea levels have left the entire length of the harbour-works submerged, including scores of plaster-lined tanks that may have stored fish products for trade or fresh water for the resupply of passing ships.
Rainbow over Gemiler island and BabadaÄź (Father mountain) in the distance
We carefully ascend through the site, following an ancient, stepped road that winds between the remains of once-luxurious merchants’ houses. The surviving walls contain sockets for securing balconies that would have offered sweeping views over the vibrant street life below while welcoming cooling sea breezes into the upper floors.
The apse and semi dome of Church 2 bathed in golden sunlight
Ancient pottery lies scattered underfoot, miraculously uncollected after over 1000 years. We pass two churches, partly carved into the rock and decorated with painted frescos. In a rarely visited chamber, we see ancient graffiti scratched into the plaster with crude depictions of ancient trading vessels; the artists replicating the ships they would have seen looking out across the bay and down onto the harbour.
Higher up on the site we pass by a great sunken chamber, a huge freshwater cistern, it’s roof now collapsed, which could have supplied the water tanks in the harbour. Then, a most unexpected structure: a wall blocks our path, running for nearly 200m along the ridgeline of the island. On closer inspection we see that the wall is punctuated by arched openings and stepping through we realise that we are in fact in a long corridor, still roofed in part, joining together two large churches - one on a low platform at the east end of the island and the other right at the summit. Frescos and crosses in the plaster show this was Christian architecture, likely designed for processions between the churches of the town carrying relics - the bones of a saint.
Walking in the so-called processional corridor up towards the main church on the summit of Gemiler island
The beautifully decorated church on the summit features a series of niches behind the apse. A place to store relics perhaps? The destination for the procession? As we look back down the corridor, we can imagine the slow procession of ornately robed clergy ascending the passageway, carrying their sacred objects, swinging censers heavy with incense, chanting prayers and litanies. The arched openings in the side of the corridor would have illuminated the solemn ceremony, allowed circulation of fresh air and provided vantage points for the crowds of pilgrims, eager to catch a glimpse of the saintly remains.
A Place of Pilgrimage for Saint Nicholas?
Was Nicholas the saint in question? Several clues suggest so. Nicholas was born, lived and performed many of his celebrated miracles in this region in the 4th century CE, when the trading port was flourishing. He was bishop of Myra, the region’s capital and closest major anchorage. Medieval nautical charts associate the island with him and surviving Byzantine walls paintings on the site show sainted figures, while ancient Greek inscriptions hint at his presence and suggest that at least one of the churches was dedicated to him. One piece of scratched graffiti depicts the outline of a trading vessel with a great unfurled sail, and at the prow stands a single figure; a bearded man looking straight out at the viewer. Could that also be him?
Thousands of pilgrims visit nearby Myra every year to see the site of Saint Nicholas’ tomb and celebrated church, but Gemiler Island also appears to have been a crucial part of the sacred landscape of remembrance for the saint, maybe even the place where his bones were first interred before being moved to a more secure location at Myra.
As we stand at the summit of the island the sun dips towards the horizon and casts long golden fingers through the ruins below us. Looking out across the smooth waters of the bay we can imagine the maritime scene 1500 years ago, crowded with vessels: trading ships heavy with olive oil, wine, or luxury goods from across the Mediterranean and beyond, stopping off on the island to trade for timber or grain brought from inland, or to re-supply before heading on to Alexandria or Constantinople. We might also have seen heavy Byzantine warships, creaking into the anchorage to resupply with provisions and water. This tiny island, now utterly bereft of life, would have been bristling with activity, and with people from all over the world and all walks of life; merchants, military personnel, clergy, and pilgrims, many on their way to the Holy Land, all converging at one of the most important pilgrimage sites on the Mediterranean coast.
Sunset from the summit of Gemiler island
Visit Gemiler Island with Peter Sommer Travels.
The remarkable preservation of the surviving ruins from antiquity in Turkey means that you can experience the ancient world here with unusual clarity. Our expert tour guides combine their deep knowledge of historical sources with on-site exploration, helping you piece together the fascinating story of sites like Gemiler Island.
Through conversation we can continue this story and explore the many unanswered questions - how did the bones of Saint Nicholas end up scattered around the world and how did he evolve from being an eastern Mediterranean bishop into Santa Claus? What terrible disaster overwhelmed this lively port and pilgrimage centre and led to its abandonment?
If the story of Gemiler Island has piqued your curiosity and you’re looking for a travel experience that goes beyond the ordinary, I invite you to join me on one of our tours to Gemiler Island and we can walk together in the footsteps of merchants, pilgrims, and legendary saints.
You can explore Gemiler Island with expert guides on our Cruising the Lycian Shore and Cruising Western Lycia trips in Turkey.
Looking from Gemiler island amongst the ruins north towards a gulet and the mainland
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