Antalya / Turkey

Antalya is situated on a plain which consists of two flat areas formed of falez rock at a height of 35 m, where the mountains recede from the shore. As a result of the research at the Karain cave it is understood that the area has been inhabited since the prehistorical times. It is known that the Turquoise/Etruscan tribes moving south from the Euroasian steppes in 3000s B.C. settled down in the Antalya area. The area is named Ahhiyava in the Hittite inscriptions. It went under the reign of Cimmerians in the 7th century followed by Persians, Macedonians, Pergamenes, Romans and Byzantines and, finally, was seized by the Turks in 1207. The name of the city is "Attalia", that is, "the city of the divine King Attala" in the Etruscan/Luwian language, also known as Turquoise. Later, this name was in constant use as the king's title in all the Turquoise branches, the Etruscans, Luwians, Kases and Huns. The name of the city which was located in the ancient Pamphylia later became "Adalia". It served as the center of the Teke Sanjak in the lands of Karamanogullan for a while, then subordinated to the province of Konya in the 19th century and finally became a province in 1923. The Old Antalya is located at a place now known as Kaleigi. Kaleici contains ruins dating back to thousands of years, temples, churches, basilicas and 715 houses and 47 monuments from the time of the Seljuk and Ottoman dwellings. Most of these having been restored, they serve tourism. As a result of the efforts, the Golden Apple, acknowledged as the Tourism Oscar, was awarded to Antalya Kaleici in 1984. The foremost work dating from the Roman era in the region is Hadrian's Gate, built in 139 A.D. in commemoration of the Emperor Hadrian's visit to the city.

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