(Redirected from Antalya province)
'Antalya Province' is located on the
Mediterranean coast of south-west
Turkey, between the
Taurus Mountains and the
Mediterranean sea. Area 20,723 km².
Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's 'tourism industry', attracting 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. It features a shoreline of 657 km with beaches, ports, and ancient cities scattered throughout, including the
World Heritage Site Xanthos. The provincial capital is
Antalya city with a population of 714,000.
Antalya is the fastest-growing province in Turkey; with a 4.17% yearly population growth rate between years 1990-2000, compared with the national rate of 1.83%. This growth is due to a fast rate of urbanization, particularly driven by tourism & other service sectors on the coast.
Etymology
The city and thus the province are named after ''
Attalos II'', king of
Pergamon, who founded the city in the 2nd century BC.
History
Antiquity
Antalya has been settled since pre-historic times. Evidence of human habitation dating back to the early Paleolithic age (150,000-200,000) years has been discovered in the Karain caves, 30 km of the north of Antalya city.
[1] Other finds dating back to the Mesolithic (Beldibi caves), Neolithic (Bademağacı Höyüğü) and more recent periods show that the area has been populated by various civilizations throughout the ages.
There are long periods shrouded in mystery until records from the
Hittite period refer to the area as part of the "Lukka Lands" (from which "
Lycia" is derived) and document the lively interaction going on between provinces in the second millennium BC. Like their descendants, the
Lukkans or
Lycians were known for their seamanship (especially their piracy) and demonstrated a fiery independent spirit. Neither the Hittites, nor the
Kingdom of Arzawa on the west coast, could ever keep them at peace for long. Legends of
Ancient Greece tell us that these communities grew into independent cities, the area as a whole came to be called
Pamphylia. A federation of these cities was set up. There are also tales of the migration of the
Akha clan to the area after the
Trojan war and eventually Greek settlements were built along the coast and inland.
In the Hellenistic period the western parts of Antalya province were in '
Lycia', the east was in '
Pamphylia', and at the extremes east, in ancient
Cilicia, while '
Pisidia' was to the north.
Before the
Ancient Roman conquest Lycia was a kingdom with the first democratic constitution in the world, which later partly inspired the
American Constitution[3] [4].
Antalya was part of the
Lydian kingdom from the 7th century BC until Lydia was defeated by the Persians during the battle of Sardis in
546 BC. The Macedonian commander
Alexander the Great ended Persian rule and in around 334 BC conquered the cities of the area one by one—except for
Termessos and
Sillyon which managed to repulse his armies in 333 BC. After the death of Alexander in
323 BC, a long battle erupted between his generals that lasted until
188 BC.
The reign of the kingdom of
Pergamon began with the defeat of the
Seleucid army at
Apamea. Shortly after this the city of
Antalya was founded. When Attalos III, the last king of Pergamom, died in
133 BC he left his kingdom to the
Ancient Romans. At this time the area is dominated by pirates based in small cities along the coast.
The Byzantines
During the mid-
Byzantine era (the 5th and 6th centuries) the city of Antalya grew beyond the city walls.
From the 7th century Muslim Arabs started to be dominant in the region and Antalya later played a part in the Christian
Crusades against
Islam. The army of
Louis VII sailed from Antalya for
Syria in 1148, and the fleet of
Richard I of England rallied here before the conquest of
Cyprus. In the late 11th and early 12th Century much of the area of the modern province fell to the
Turks especially the
Danishmends. Between the years
1120-
1206, Antalya was again under the sovereignty of Byzantines.
The Seljuk Turks
The area was conquered by the
Seljuk Turks and recaptured by the Byzantines again and again from 1076 onwards as the Seljuks strove to establish a trading base on the Mediterranean. At one stage Turkish lord
Kilij Arslan had a palace here. In
1220 Byzantine rule ended for the last time and the city was quickly divided into Christian and Muslim sections, the Christian trading communities including
Venetians and
Genoese.
Alanya also grew and thrived during the Seljuk period.
The Ottoman Empire onwards
The area passed through many hands before its final occupation by the
Ottoman Empire under
Murad II in
1432. Ottoman rule of the coast persisted until the end of the First World War, when Antalya was briefly occupied by Italian troops before becoming part of the
Republic of Turkey in 1921.
There are many archaeological sites in the province including three National Parks and three Specially Protected Areas.
Districts and cities
★ The coastal districts are;
Antalya,
GazipaÅŸa,
Alanya,
Manavgat,
Serik,
Kemer,
Kumluca,
Finike,
Kale and
KaÅŸ.
★ The inland districts are high in the Taurus Mountains, at elevations approx 900-1000 m above sea level. These are;
Gündoğmuş,
Akseki,
İbradı,
Korkuteli and
Elmalı.
Geography
The land of the province is 77.8% mountain, 10.2% plain and 12% uneven. Many of the peaks of the Taurus mountains are above 2500-3000 metres. The
Teke peninsula in the west includes wide plateaus and river basins. Climate, agriculture, demographics and habitation patterns differ greatly between the inland mountain areas and the coastal plain.
Places of interest
The highest point of the Taurus mountains is AkdaÄŸ at an altitude of 3025 metres. Located to the northwest of the city centre and at a distance of 50 km is the
Saklıkent ski and recreation centre on Beydağları. Here one can ski and then go down to the shore and into the sea during the months of January-April. In Saklıkent there are two teleski and ski courses along with villas and accommodation facilities available in the area. Situated on Bakırlı Hill behind Saklıkent is the
Antalya National Space Observatory. It is possible to watch meteor showers and shooting stars on certain days of the year. In rivers rafting and canoeing sports and on the Taurus mountains jeep safari, hunting and trekking tours are organised. Alternatively, there is rock-climbing, bird watching tourism, photo-safari, mountain tourism, line fishing and health tourism at the thalasso and dialysis centres in
Geyikbayırı. Holy tourism activities are organized in
Myra and
Patara where
St Nicholas was born and lived. In the area of
Belek, 30 km. east of Antalya, there is a big potential for golf tourism with the bonus of the cultural, historical and natural sightseeing of the region. There are five golf facilities already operating in Belek. There are underwater diving centres on the coast, primarily in
Kemer,
Çamyuva,
Olympos,
Adrasan,
KaÅŸ,
Kalkan,
Üçağız,
Kekova,
Side and
Alanya. In addition, yacht tours are organized from the port of Antalya to
Düden Waterfall-
Karpuzkaldıran and Kemer, from Side to Alanya, from
Demre-
Çayağzı to Kekova, from Kaş to Kekova, from Kemer to
Çıralı-Olympos-Adrasan and
Cape Gelidonya. There are also boat tours on
Manavgat creek and canoe tours on
Xanthos creek. In addition,
Blue Cruise, which covers the southwestern Anatolian coast, ends in Antalya. There are ferryboat trips from Alanya to
Cyprus and from Antalya to
Italy. Antalya today is a world tourism centre with its unique touristic accommodation facilities, nature and historical beauties.
Ancient cities and ruins
There are sites of historical and archaelogical interest all over Antalya including
★ The
Pisidian city of
Ariassos 48 km. along the Antalya-
Burdur highway.
★ In the district of
Kumluca:
Acaliasos,
Cormus,
Gagae,
Idebessos, and the ancient Lycian city of
Olympos,
★ In the district of
Kale:
Andriake,
Antiphellos,
Apallai,
Myra,
Phellos,
Sure
★ In the district of
Üçağız:
Apollonia,
Hysa,
Ilysa,
Istloda,
Teimiusa
★ In the district of
Finike:
Arycanda,
Limyra,
Melanippe,
Trebema, and Lycian rock graves
★ In the district of
Kemer, (southwest of Antalya):
Idyros, and the
Lycian city of
Phaselis
★ In
Side; the town itself,
Seleucia (Pamphylia), and a temple of Athena.
★ The church of
Saint Nicholas in
Demre
★ The caves of ''Beldibi'', ''DamlataÅŸ'' and ''Karain''
★
Hadrian's Gate, the Roman fortification and the clock tower in the city of
Antalya itself. Also near the city the Pamphilian city of
Aspendos,
Perge (on two hills, once the capital of
Pamphylia) and the Pisidian city of
Termessos, high in the mountains 35 km northwest of Antalya.
★ Karaburun and
Seyamük in
Elmalı
★
Kyneai in
KaÅŸ
★
PoÄŸla in
Korkuteli
★
Silliyon (the town of
Serik), dates back to 4th century BC.
★
Simena in
Kekova
★
Tlos
★ The ancient Lycian city of
Xanthos (Kınık)
National parks
★
Koprulu National Park
★
Termessos National Park
★
Olympos National Park
Sites of natural beauty
★
Manavgat Waterfall
★
Kursunlu Waterfall
★
Duden Waterfall
★
Oymapinar Dam
★
Köprülü Canyon
★
Düzler pine forest
★
Saklikent Ski Resort
★
Chimaera
Solar eclipse of 2006
On
March 29,
2006 a total
solar eclipse occurred over Antalya, lasting almost 4 minutes, the centre line passing over the resorts of
Side and
Manavgat. A solar eclipse is a rare natural event that one can see maybe only once in a lifetime.
Website of the TUBITAK National Observatory in Antalya
External links
★
Pictures of the capital of this province
★
Antalya video
★
All About Turkey (Antalya)
★
Antalya picture gallery
★
Antalya Poartal
★
Antalya Website
★
Information on Antalya
★
Lycian Turkey
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