About Antalya
ANTALYA - A resort for all seasons
Antalya is a city on Turkey's Mediterranean ( Turquoise ) coast & is the 8th largest city in the country. It consistently ranks in the top 8 of the worlds most visited cities & is Turkey's largest international sea resort. It is served by Antalya International airport located just 10 km from the centre
It is backed by the Taurus Mountains that rise some 3,086m above its coastline which has innumerable beaches along its length. Antalya is a vibrant city with many hotels, bars, restaurants etc & large shopping centres / outlets too. A shopper's paradise this city attracts visitors from many countries & has a thriving internal tourism market too. It hosts several festivals every year including film, sports, arts & cultural events attracting different types of visitors
The marina in Antalya was once a Roman age harbour & remains of the old city walls & towers can still be seen.
The historical quarter of the city is Kaleici - here the streets are narrow & cobbled ,with Ottoman era houses along them. The city bears many signs of its former occupants with cultural & architectural traces from the Lycian , Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman eras to name a few
The areas of Konyaalti & Lara host the majority of the large hotels of the city. Both have excellent beaches ( Lara's being one of the longest beaches in Turkey ) with plenty of amenities along their length
Antalya offers a diversity of styles ancient & modern mingling centuries old architecture with the most contemporary of malls, hotels & facilities. Road & air travel make access to Antalya & its surrounding historical ( eg Perge, Aspendos ) & natural sites ( eg Duden & Kursunlu waterfalls ) very easy which has also helped increase its profile. Its success as a premier tourist destination only looks set to continue as more & more visitors every year choose to go to Antalya for their holiday to Turkey
Other resorts nearby include :
Alanya
Belek
Side
Kemer
Manavgat
ANTALYA HISTORY
ANTALYA - Historical richness still in evidence today
Founded in 150 BC by the then king of Pergamon Atalus II Antalya was initially named after him - Attaleai & was subsequently inhabited by the Romans ( in around 133 BC ) , Byzantines & Selcuks when it was known as Adalia, before coming under the rule of the Ottomans. However evidence in caves close to Antalya have revealed habitation in the area may have begun as much as 200.000 years ago.
Evidence of all these civilizations can still be seen today :
Hadrians Gate dates back from 2nd century AD & was built in honour of the Emperor Hadrian by his Roman subjects after his visit in 130 AD. Kesik Minare Mosque started life as a Roman temple before being converted to a church in the Byzantine era & later to a mosque
The Hidirlik Tower is a landmark tower of tawny stone located where Kaleici joins Karaalioglu Park. It is believed to have been built during the Roman Empire around 2 AD on a square plan then later the same century it was turned into circular tower. It has since been used as both a lighthouse & fortification. There are also signs of restorations carried out on the tower during the Selcuk & Ottoman times
The beautiful fluted minaret of the Yivli Minareli Mosque with its dark blue & turquoise ceramics, built in the 13th century by the Selcuk Sultan Aladdin Keykubat still stands in the city centre
The Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque ( 18th Century ) & Murat Pasa Mosque ( 16th Century ) are both important examples of Ottoman age buildings