Info About ANTALYA

 ISTANBUL TRAVEL TURKEY - The HISTORY TRAVEL AGENCY

Antalya has a backdrop of stunning mountain scenery, and the city is set high on cliffs, with many of its grandest hotels overlooking the sea on the outskirts of the town. The beach area of Lara, approximately 12 km to the east is home to the best beach in the area, known for its golden sand, which is rapidly becoming a resort in its own right. To the west, the long pebble beach of Konyaalt� is also popular. Heading up into the mountains, you can make the most of the beautiful scenery by visiting the spectacular D�den or Kur�unlu waterfalls. At Sakl�kent, just 50 km away from the city centre, you can even ski, where they usually have snow on the slopes until early April.

The Alt�n Portakal (Golden Orange) film festival is held annually in the autumn. Antalya has a large number of 5 star hotels, many of which have meetings facilities, and this, together with the Pyramid Congress Centre which can hold up to 3000 delegates make it a popular venue for conferences.

There are many holiday resorts like Alanya, Belek, Kalkan, Ka�, Kekova, Kemer, Olympos, Patara, Side within the borders of Antalya region.

The most popular Historic Sites of Antalya Region:
Aspendos: Just 50 km east of Antalya, Aspendos was an important centre of trade during Roman times. Today, the most impressive aspect of Aspendos is her stunning theatre, which was built in approx. 162 AD. It seats 15,000 and has been beautifully preserved. Each year it hosts the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival which takes place in June and July and gives you the opportunity to see performances of classics in a magnificent setting. The aqueduct, which supplied water to the city is also still relatively intact and is an impressive sight.

Phaselis: The three harbours of this Lycian port city were once a major commercial centre. In the shelter of Mount Tahtal�, it is a popular stopping off point for yachts, and its clear waters and sandy beaches are popular with sun-seekers. The remains are mostly Roman and include a theatre, baths, aqueducts, Hadrian's Gate, an agora and an acropolis.

Perge: Just 18 kms from Antalya, Perge was an important city in Pamphylia and was visited by St.Paul during his missionary journeys. Today, the city gate flanked by lofty towers, theatre and baths are of interest.

Demre: Also known as Kale, the ancient city of Myra, is mostly famous for its connection with St. Nicholas, who was bishop here in the 4th century. His church is the focus of the annual ceremony which takes place to commemorate him on or around his feast day of 6th December. It is well worth seeing the Roman theatre which remains here, overlooked by spectacular rock tombs, dating from the 4th century BC.

Kumluca and the many coves between Antalya and Finike are home to some of the most famous holiday resorts in Turkey, like Kemer, Camyuva, Belek, Cirali and Adrasan. Closer to the city, Konyaalti is 3 km west of the city, and Lara beach is 10 km east and well connected by dolmus.

 

UNESCO World Heritage

Date of Inscription to the World Heritage List: 9.12.1988
List Reference: 484 Criteria: Cultural


Xanthos, which was the capital of Lycia between 700 and 300 BC, is known as the largest administrative centre of Lycia during antiquity. Letoon, which was Inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with Xanthos in 1988, was one of the most prominent religious centres of antiquity.

Xanthos (Arrina) is where Serpedon lived. Sarpedon encouraged Prince Hector during the Trojan War by writing a poem to him. The site is on the road between Fethiye and Kas, 46 km from Fethiye. It Is part of present-day Kinik village, on the Esen, a stream separating the provinces of Mugla and Antalya.

The archaeological value of Xanthos and Letoon make them very important parts of world heritage. The sites are about 4 km apart.

The original Lycian sarcophagi once situated just above the amphitheatre, and the original Harpy Tomb are In the British Museum.

The sanctuary of Leto was discovered in 1840. There are a six-row theatre, a basilica, Inscription tablets, three temples, a round portico attached to the cult building of the empire and an L shaped stoa. In the ancient city, there are three temples devoted to Leto and her twin sons. Leto's twins, Apollo and Artemis, were deities, and were honoured, like their mother, with a temple each.

The largest temple, devoted to the mother of Artemis and Apollo, is the Leto Temple built on the west side In per�pteros style. It Is 30.25m by 15.75m. On the east side the Apollo Temple is in the Doric style and it is 27.90m by 15.07m. The Apollo Temple looks exactly like the houses depicted In the Lycian tombs. The foundation remains are noteworthy since they have a timber structure. The lesser Artemis Temple Is situated between the other two temples. It Is 18.20m by 8.70m.
As water levels have risen since antiquity, the lower parts of the buildings are now under water.
Xantos with its spectacular theatre, structural ruins, mosaics, and the underground ruins waiting to be uncovered and Leton with its Leto, Apollon and Artemis temples, monastery, fountain, and Roman theatre ruins are waiting for their visitors to tell their tales.
 

Antiphellos (Kas)
Not much remains from this city from when it was established on top of the old city of Antiphellos in Central Lycia. From an inscription written in two languages, we can see that the city under Ka� was ...  Read More

Archaeological Site of Perge
Date of submission to the Tentative World Heritage List: 06/02/2009List Reference: 5411Criteria: CulturalAncient Perge, one of the chief cities of PamphyliaPerge, the long-established city of Pamphylia ...  Read More

Archaeology Museum
The Antalya Region has always been settled, ever since the Paleolithic Age until today. Since there are names of this region mentioned in Homer's Illiad, it is obvious that there were indigenous people ...  Read More

Aspendos
Aspendos Located in the second kilometer of the road turning to North at the 44th km. of Antalya - Alanya highway, Aspendos is famous for having the best-preserved Roman Theatre not only in Anatolia but ...  Read More

Atat�rk Museum
At the beginning of March 1930, Ataturk was in Izmir. The weather was becoming very cold. Ataturk thought of taking a rest for a week in Antalya's warm weather. On 5 March 1930, he departed from Izmir ...  Read More

City Walls
What remained today, is a few bastions inside the city as well as Hadrian's Gate and its towers, the large tower facing the harbour and a few pieces of the harbour walls. One of the wall surrounds the ...  Read More

Daglik
It is located within the borders of Guneykoy, 18 km away from the Gazipasa district. It falls into the borders of the region, known as Mountainous Kilikya in Ancient Times. The name of the town comes from ...  Read More

Demre Myra
Demre-Myra & Church of St.Nicolas Demre was one of the most important cities of the Lycian civilisation. 25km west of Finike and 48km east of Kas, Demre was a place of settlement from the 5th century ...  Read More

Hadrian
The only city gate to have survived until the present day is the most attractive of the Pamphylia: Uckapilar (Three Gates), also known as Hadrian's Gate, which is guarded by one tower on either side. Built ...  Read More

Kalei�i (Inner Castle)
Today the historical old city of Antalya known as Kaleici (the inner castle) is surrounded by two walls, most of which have fallen down. The inner wall encloses the harbour in a semicircle. As a result ...  Read More

Limyra
Believed to have been in existence since the 5th century, Limyra is still in existence despite a massive earthquake that struck in the mid 19th century and despite its evacuation in the 7th and 9th centuries, ...  Read More

Patara
Patara is found on the Kalkan-Fethiye road, nearly 10 km before Kalkan, and is located at the south. The colorful ceramics in the center of the city reveal that the history of the city reaches back to ...  Read More

Santa Claus
Demre-Myra & Church of St.Nicolas Demre was one of the most important cities of the Lycian civilisation. 25km west of Finike and 48km east of Kas, Demre was a place of settlement from the 5th century ...  Read More

Selinus
The city is located 3 km on the south of Gazipasa, about 45 km away from Alanya. The city is on a skirt of hill extending to the sea in an elbow shape. The acropolis of the city is found on the hill. There ...  Read More

Termessos
The ruined city of Termessos, lying 34km west of Antalya, in a rugged mountain valley, was founded by the Solymi people, from the interior of Anatolia. Among the important remains are, the 4200-seat theatre ...  Read More

Xanthos
Founded on the Xanthos river basin, Xanthos is the biggest and the most ancient city of Lycia. Having remained independent until the invasions of the Persians in 4292 B.C., Xanthos tried hard to defend ...  Read More