Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. It is Turkey’s biggest international sea resort, located on the Turkish Riviera.

In 2011 the city had a population of 964,886 and the metropolitan municipality 1,041,972.

In 2012, Antalya became the third most visited city in the world by number of international arrivals, ranking behind Paris and London, respectively. Antalya previously ranked fourth in the world in 2010 and 2011, with over 10.5 million visitors in 2011

History

It is uncertain when the site of the current city was first inhabited. Attalos II, king of Pergamon, is believed to have founded the city around 150 BC, naming it Attaliaand selecting it as a naval base for his powerful fleet. However, excavations in 2008 in the Dogu Garajı district have uncovered remains dating to the 3rd century BC, suggesting that the city was founded earlier than previously supposed. Antalya became part of the Roman Republic in 133 BC when King Attalos III of Pergamon willed his kingdom to Rome at his death. The city grew and prospered during the Ancient Roman period.

Christianity started to spread in the region after 2nd century. Antalya was visited by Paul of Tarsus, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: “From Perga, Paul and Barnabas went down to Attalia and sailed from there to Antioch after preaching in Pisidia and Pamphylia”. The Great Mosque had also been a Christian basilica and the Kesik Minare Mosque had been the 5th century Christian Church of the Panaghia or Virgin and was decorated with finely carved marble. The archaeological museum at Attalia houses some sarcophagi and mosaics from nearby Perga and a casket of bones reputed to be those of St. Nicholas, the bishop of Myra, further down the Turquoise coast.

Antalya was a major city in the Byzantine Empire. It was the capital of the Byzantine Theme of Carabisiani which occupied the southern coasts of Anatolia and the Aegean Islands. At the time of the accession of John II Comnenus in 1118 it was an isolated outpost surrounded by Turkish beylik, accessible only by sea.

Geography

The metropolis of Greater Antalya consists of five boroughs: Konyaaltı (112,647), Kepez (399,006), Muratpasa (416,576), Aksu (45,094), and Dosemealtı (27,995).

Antalya is in south-west Anatolia, on the Mediterranean Gulf of Antalya.

The Taurus Mountains of southern Anatolia runs parallel to the Mediterranean in an east-west direction, resulting in the formation of narrow coastal plains surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on the fourth. Some parts of the coast feature mountains plunging sharply into the sea, forming small natural bays and peninsulas. Antalya is situated on one such plain where the mountains recede from the shore, consisting of two flat areas formed of travertine rock at a mean height of 35 metres (115 ft); the city centre is on the rocky plain closest the coast, with urban sprawl extending to the Kepezustu Plain further inland

Climate

The area is shielded from the northerly winds by the Taurus Mountains. Antalya has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. Around 300 days of the year are sunny, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight per year. The mean sea temperature ranges between 16 °C in winter and 27 °C in summer. The highest record air temperature reached 45 °C (113 °F) in July which normally averages as high as 34.4 °C and the lowest record dropped to −4 °C in February, when the low average is as low as 6.1 °C

Festivals and Events

• • A number of sports championships including motor rallies and the 2010 World Weighlifting Championships.

• • Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: Turkey’s largest national film festival, last week of September

• • International Eurasia Film Festival: International film festival held annually

• • Antalya Festival: September

• • Mediterranean International Music Festival: October, 6 days

• • Antalya International Folk Music and Dance Festival Competition: Last week of August

• • Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival: June and July

• • Flower festival May

Historic sights

• • Kaleici: the historical centre of the city.

• • Ancient monuments include the City Walls, Hıdırlık Tower, Hadrian’s Gate (also known as Triple Gate), and the Clock Tower.

• • Hadrian’s Gate: constructed in the 2nd century by the Romans in honour of the Emperor Hadrian.

• • Iskele Mosque: A 19th-century Mosque near the Marina.

• • Karatay Medrese: A Medrese (Islamic theological seminary) built in 1250 by Emir Celaleddin Karatay.

• • Kesik Minare (Broken Minaret) Mosque: Once a Roman temple then converted to a Byzantine Panaglia church and finally into a mosque.

• • Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque: An 18th-century Mosque built in honour of Tekeli Mehmet Pasa.

• • Yat Limanı: the harbour dating to Roman era.

• • Yivli Minare (Fluted Minaret) Mosque: Built by the Seljuks and decorated with dark blue and turquoise tiles, this minaret eventually became the symbol of the city

Tourism

Kaleici, with its narrow cobbled streets of historic Ottoman era houses, is the old center of Antalya. With its hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping, it has been restored to retain much of its historical character; its restoration has won the Golden Apple Tourism Prize. Cumhuriyet Square, the main square of the city, is the location for temporary open air exhibitions and performances. The city also features sites with traces of Lycian, Pamphylian, and Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman architecture and cultures. International luxury hotels stand along the coast above the Konyaalti and Lara beaches

SEE ALL PROPERTIES IN ANTALYA REGION