Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of south western Turkey, the biggest international seaside
resort of the country. The tradition says that the Pergamon king Attalos II, in the 2nd century BC,
commanded his men to find the "heaven on earth". After a long and wide research, they found the region
of Antalya: the King Attalos constructed the city and gave it the name "Attaleia", which evolved in Turkish
first as Adalia and then Antalya. It is not sure that this story is true, also because some archaeological
remains let supposed that the city was founded earlier.
In 133 BC, Antalya became part of the Roman Republic and it was a prosperous city during the Ancient
Roman period. During the Byzantine Empire, Antalya was one of the main cities, as capital of the Byzantine
Theme of Carabisiani. The city and the surrounding region were occupied by the Seljuk Turks in the early
13th century. Antalya was the capital of the Turkish principality Beylik of Teke (1321-1423) until the
Ottomans conquered it. In the 19th century, like most of Anatolia, its ruler was a "Dere Bey" (land lord). In
the 20th century, Antalya saw its population increasing, due to the Turks moving from the Caucasus and the
Balkans. In 1911, they city had about 25,000 habitants, including several Christians and Jews, still living in
separate quarters around the walled harbour. At that time, Antalya was charming, but also not well built.
The city developed and grew up, becoming the eighth most populous city in Turkey with several interesting
spots.
The economy of Antalya is based on a combination of tourism, agriculture (mainly citrus, cotton, flowers,
olives, olive oils and bananas), commerce, and with some small industries. Since 2000, some shipyards have
been opened in Antalya and they became specialized in building luxury yachts.
A vacation in Antalya is ideal if you are looking for relaxing time and fun with your friends or family. Several
holiday accommodations for rent are available in Antalya and the surrounding towns.
The heart of Antalya is Kalei?i, featured by the tiny paved streets of Turkish and Greek houses; and it is full
of hotels, clubs, restaurants and shops. The main square of the city is Cumhuriyet Square, location of the
monument of Ataturk and set of several open air exhibitions and performances. Other interesting sites in
the historic centre are the city walls, the Hidirlik Tower, the Hadrian's Gate (built in the second century by
the Romans in honour of the Emperor Hadrian), the Clock Tower, the Kesik Minare (Broken Minaret) and
the Yivli Minare(Fluted Minaret), which is the symbol of the city.
In the city, you can also find examples of Lycian, Pamphylian, Hellnistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and
Ottoman architecture and cultures. There are a large number of mosques, churches, madrasahs, masjids,
hans and hamams in the city. Some museums also worth a visit: Antalya Museum, Kalei?i Museum (opened
by the Mediterranean Civilizations Research in 2007), and the Ataturk's House Museum.
Antalya has also beautiful beaches such as Konyaati and Lara. Konyaati is located beneath the old city and it
extends for miles toward west with different kinds of beaches from sand to gravel. Here are located several
international hotels, such as Sheraton; and many tourist facilities. Lara is also a famous beach, one of the
longest in Turkey. It is home of several themed 5 to 7 star hotels, especially in the Kundu area. Most of the
hotels are copies of famous places around the world (such as Venice and Kremlin); and for this reason, the
area has been nicknamed "Las Vegas in Turkey".
Other sites of interest in Antalya are Karpuzkaldiran, the T?nek Hill, the Karaalioglu Park, the Arapsu Bridge,
the Konyaalti Beach Park, and the Minicity. For the winter sports, the ideal places are Beydaglari and
Saklikent.
Antalya hosts some sport championships, such as motor rallies and in 2010 the World Weigh lifting
Championships.
Several are also the festivals in Antalya, such as the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (the largest
film festival in Turkey), the International Eurasia Film Festival, the Antalya Festival, the Mediterranean
International Music Festival, the Antalya International Folk Music and Dance Festival Competition, the
Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival; and the Flower Festival.
Antalya offers also tasty specialties such as Piyaz (made with tahini, garlic, walnuts, and boiled beans),
spicy hibes with mixed cumin and tahini; the tirmis (boiled seeds of the lupin, eaten as a snack); and also sis
k?fte, tandir kebap, domates civesi, saksuka, and various cold Mediterranean dishes with olive oil.
Author Resource:
The author website offers holiday rentals in Turkey . And it is a good start if you are planing to visit Turkey
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