Patara

Patara was a prominent seaport city on the southwestern coast of the Roman province of Lycia (modern Turkey), situated at the mouth of the Xanthus River. It was a commercial and administrative center of some importance, functioning as a principal port for ships crossing the eastern Mediterranean. Patara is mentioned in Acts 21:1–2, where Paul and his companions, sailing from Miletus toward Jerusalem after the third missionary journey, stopped at Cos and Rhodes before arriving at Patara, where they transferred to a ship crossing directly to Phoenicia.

In some manuscript traditions of Acts 21:1, the port of Myra appears alongside Patara, suggesting a slightly different itinerary. Patara also had significance as the site of a famous oracle of Apollo, one of the notable oracular shrines of the ancient world, though the New Testament account makes no mention of this. The city's role as a major transit port made it a natural stopping point on the eastern Mediterranean sea routes used by Paul in his missionary travels.