Commanding the Mediterranean from sheer cliffs rising out of the sea and backed by the Bey Mountains, Antalya has one of the most beautiful geographical locations in the world. It is also a vibrant modern city, grown up around a fascinating old inner city full of reminders of the past from Roman times right through of the Ottomans.
Antalya was founded by the Pergamum King Attalos II in the 2nd century BC. Legend has it that Attalos instructed his soldiers to find “heaven on earth” and that after a long and tedious search across the world, his men offered the king this city, which he named Attaleia. Today, Attalos statue stands across from the Clock Tower. The magnificent Hadrian’s Gate, on the other hand, is named after the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who visited the city in 130 BC.
Antalya was an important harbor during the Crusades and served as a base for soldiers on their way to the Holy Land. Conquered by the Ottomans during Sultan Bayezid’s reign, the Italians in 1918. It’s a city that has attracted travelers throughout history and Ibn Battuta, who visited in the 14th century, wrote that the Egyptians called lemons “Adalia” because so many were exproted from Antalya. Having traversed the area in 1671. Evliya Çelebi noted that the city walls were 4400m in length, and had 80 bastions, and that the 200 fountains received their water from the Düden Creek.
Famous for the Kaleiçi (Old Town) with its lovely old Ottoman houses, the Yivli Minare (Fluted Minaret) and the beaches along the coast, Antalya also has a wonderful museum.An incredible collection spans a wide time frame with exhibits from the Stone Age to the Ottoman period. The most outstanding pieces are from the Roman era; the statuary alone would be enough to rank the museum among the top five in Turkey. In ancient times, Antalya was surrounded by Pisidia in the north. Pamphylia (”the land of all tribes”) in the east, and Lycia in the west.
Because of its position at the crossroads of all the most important transport routes, the city acquired an incredible historical heritage, and the museum doesn’t have enough space to accommodate all the finds from local archaeological sites.
There are many things to do in Antalya and its environs; ski in Saklıkent in the winter, go to the ancient city of Selge near Köprüçay (which is perfect for rafting), visit Sillyum, see Side, get some rest in Manavgat, discover the ruins of Olympos, and wander amid the cedar trees in the ancient city of Idebessos on the northern slopes of Aykırca Creek. With time to venture a bit further, you can also admire one of the most beautiful Greek theaters in the world at Arycanda near Finike, and enjoy some trout at one of the many local fish farms.
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