ANTALYA

Antalya is the capital city of the Antalya Province, located on the Gulf of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The population of the city is 603,190 (2000 census) but reaches up to 2 million in summers at the height of the tourist season. Situated on a steep cliff, Antalya is a picturesque city surrounded by mountains, forests, mediterranean sea and many ancient ruins; with one notable archaeological museum. With its airport it is a gateway for Turkey's coastal resorts which took the name Turkish riviera because of the natural and historical beauties of it.

Combining history and culture it deserves the title of "the capital of Turkish tourism". Today the city of Antalya is reliving a golden age. It has been transformed into a cultural and touristic hub with thematic hotels with concepts like Venice, Topkapý Palace, and cathedrals in Moscow. Kaleici, the rustic old town where historic Turkish and Greek houses are
under protection, is the most popular center in Antalya. It is situated between the yacht harbour and the main city. Old houses that are separated by narrow, cobble-stone roads are now hotels and tourism-related shops. Traces of Byzantine, Roman and Seljuks architecture and culture can still be seen. Also Antalya museums house the finds belonging to historic ages of Anatolia.

Inside the city Yivli Minare and Kulliye, Karaalioglu park are places where Ottoman architecture can be seen. Konyaalti and Lara coasts are well known with their crystal clear waters. The prominent sites accessible by daily tours are Side, Perga, Manavgat and Alanya. Ancient cities like Phaselis, Olympos, Adrasan and Kekova can be reached from the sea by Blue voyagers. 


Antalya Places to See
Kaleici: It is the historical center of the city which embraced many civilizations during time. It is now restored and has became a most attractive touristic centre with its hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping. Kaleici retains all the original ancient Turkish archaeological characteristics. The port's marina has been completely restored. The restoration activities in Kaleici won the Golden Apple Prize, the Oscar of tourism.

The City Walls: The memorial Hadrian Arch and The Clock Tower are remarkable and date back to Hellenistic era.

Antalya Museum: A prize winning museum and one of the most notable archaeology museums, of the world. It is also the only museum in Turkey with a children's department exhibiting ancient monuments appealing to children.

Kaleiçi Museum: Opened by the Mediterranean Civilizations Research Center (Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Arastirma Merkezi) it is newly opened and already has a very rich collection.

Hadrian's Gate: The Three Gates" (Uckapilar in Turkish) is a triumphal arch which was built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrianus, who visited Antalya in 130 A.C. It has three arched gates. According to the legend, those were the gates under which Belkis, the Queen of Saba, passed with her ships full of diamonds, on her way to visit Hz. Süleyman King Solomon in Antalya. Sultan Belkis is said to have passed under those gates and to have enjoyed many a happy day in the palace in Aspendos.Formerly the city walls enclosed the outside of the gate and it was not used for many years. This may be the reason why it has not been harmed, and it was only revealed when the walls collapsed. It is considered as Pamphylia's most beautiful Gate. The upper part has three apertures in the shape of a cupola, and except for the pillars is built entirely of white marble. The ornamentation is very striking. The original Gate was two storeys but little is known of the top storey.

On either side of the Gate are towers, which are known not to have been built at the same time. The southern one is known as the Julia Sancta tower and is a work of the Hadrian era. It was constructed of plain stone blocks. While the base of the northern tower belongs to antiquity, the upper part is left over from the Seljuks.

Kesik Minare (Broken Minaret): Once a Byzantine Panaglia church, later converted into a mosque.

The Yivli Minare Mosque (Ulu camii): The mosque's fluted minaret, which is decorated with dark blue tiles, is a landmark and symbol of the city. The minaret was built in 1230 and is 38 metres high, built on a square stone base, with eight fluted sections and has 90 steps to the top.

The building was originally a Byzantine church and was converted into a mosque around 1225-7, during the reign of the Seljuk sultan Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I (1220-1237). The original mosque was destroyed in the 14th century and a new mosque was built which, with its six domes, is one of the oldest examples of multi-dome construction in Anatolia.

Today the building houses the Antalya Ethnographic Museum and contains clothing, kitchen utensils, embroidery, tapestries and looms, socks, sacks, kilims, ornaments, and nomadic tents. It was opened to the public in 1974.
  
Lara Beach Park : Lara is a district of Antalya city, Turkey. It is famous with its beach (Lara beach) that is one of the longest sand beaches of Turkey. It has thematic 5 to 7 star hotels in Kundu area which most of them are the replications of Moscow cathedrals, Topkapi palace, Venice, etc.. which makes the area sometimes called the Las Vegas in Turkey. Also there is a 2 km beach park facility that includes 11 beach club units, 4 restaurants, 4 cafes, many bars&clubs, 2 football fields, 1 amusement park, open exhibition halls, many kindergartens, beach volley fields, beach soccer fields, activity spaces, recreation areas, watersports, bycicly,skate,jogging facilities and a free car park. Demre mineral springs, Karpuzkaldiran

Konyaalti Beach Park : The name Konyaalti which mean "below Konya" stems from the fact the city of Antalya was an administrative part of the city of Konya during the Ottoman Empire and the location of the beach is where the steep cliff of the city ends. It is situated beneath the old city of Antalya extending miles toward west with various kinds of beaches from sand to pebbles. The water is a little cooler compared to other beaches of Antalya because of an underground creek flowing to the sea. There are modern underground facilities for aesthetical reasons. Transportation is easy by means of a tramway, buses etc. It is reachable by foot as well.
Duden Falls
Kursunlu Falls
Köprülü Kanyon
Düzler pine forest


Saklikent Ski Center : Saklikent is a winter resort in Turkey, 45 kilometres from Antalya and 60 kilometres from Antalya Airport. It is open for skiing from November to May. Because of its proximity to Antalya, one can ski and then one hour later swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

 
Kalkan:Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, which averages of 300 days of sunshine a year. The area includes many historical sites and many fine beaches. The word Kalkan is Turkish for 'shield'. Kalkan is an old fishing town, and the only safe harbor between Kas and Fethiye; famous for its white-washed houses, descending to the sea, and its brightly colored bougainvilleas.
Until the early 1920s the majority of its inhabitants were Greeks. They had to leave the town in 1923 because of the Exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey after the Greco-Turkish War. They emigrated mainly to Attica, where they founded a village bearing the same name - Kalamaki - as their town of origin.
With much of the surrounding land still undeveloped and with many nearby remains of ancient civilizations, Kalkan is the ideal resort for those who want calm and relaxation, enjoy the natural beauty of the cleanest seashores, of rough mountains covered with pine forests, and also for those who want to explore the remains of the ancient Lycian cities in the neighborhood.
Lycia, "The Land of Light", which is the first known federation in history, included the many city states between modern day Fethiye and Antalya, and its capital was Xanthos (Arna in Lycian language), which is Kinik today, 17 km from Kalkan.
Kalkan was an important harbor town until 1970's as the only sea port for the environs. It declined after construction of Fethiye road but revived after the emergence of the tourism industry in the region.

TünekTepe : Tünek Tepe is a hill at the west side of Antalya city with a height of 618 m. On top of it there is a restaurant and bar that rotates around itself.(The name of it has become Döner Gazino which means Rotating house in public).It is one of the greatest tourist attractions with its incredible view of the Antalya gulf and the mountains.

Aspendos: One of the most important Pamphilian cities. It is situated on the point where the Kopru River meets the sea. Once an important port and a commercal centre, it has a reputation for raising the best horses on earth. The odeon, basilica, galleria and fountains are worth seeing.

Termessos: It is a Pisidyan city with remnants of an agora, theatre and an odion. It has a reputation of being the most magnificent necropolis on the Mediterranean, 35 km northwest of Antalya.

Ariassos: At a distance of 48 Km. along the Antalya Burdur highway and before arriving at the village Dag, turn left and Ariassos is reached 1 Km. further on. A city of antiquity, Ariassos was built in a valley and could survey its surroundings. The gate, the baths, the rock tombs and the mausoleum are almost intact.

Olympos National Park: Olympos is an ancient Lycian city 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kemer.

Perge: 18 km northeast of Antalya. The ruins are spread on two hills, the theatre on one and the acropolis on the other. According to the legend the city was built by three heros from Troy.

Phaselis: A Lycian city 54 km southwest of Antalya.

Sillyon: 34 km from Antalya on the Alanya direction. It is situated between Aspendos and Perge and dates back to 4th.century BC.

Sagalassos: An ancient pisidian town 100 km north of Antalya.


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