ANTALYAAntalya (Kaleici – Marina, Yivli Minare – Fluted Minaret, Hadrian's Gate, Konyaalti, Termessos, Karain Cave , Duden Waterfalls, Kursunlu Waterfalls)
The hub of Turkey 's Mediterranean coast is Antalya (ancient Attaleia), a city of over a million whose populations swells by another 3 – 500,000 for most of the 300-day-long summer season. The city could hardly ask for much more in the way of natural assets; its stunning harbour, rustic old town and long , languid climate have made it a favourite port of call for many a European yachtsman. The city was founded in 158 BC by Kind Attalus II of Pergamon and bequeathed to Rome in 133 BC. Although badly battered by the Arab invasions of the 7 th century, it remained in Byzantine hands until the Selcuks arrived in 1206, and was a regular staging post for Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land . In the 1390s, control was handed to the Ottomans and remained with them until the area was given to Italy in 1919. Three years later, it was returned to Turkey .
The heart of the city is the beautifully restored old citadel of Kaleici, next to a harbour which now shelters vessels both sleek and seedy in a setting that could hold its own on the Riviera .
The Yivli Minare – Fluted Minaret is the symbol of Antalya and the oldest Selcuk monument in the city, dates from the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat I. Exquisite turquoise and blue tiles are set into the 8 metre high minaret itself, while the pool in front is marble.
Hadrian's Gate is a stately triple-arched structure of white marble, built in honour of the Emperor's visit in AD 130.
Perge & Aspendos
The most impressive ruins on the Pamphylian coast are at Perge, 15 km east of Antalya , though they are not on the scale of Ephesus or Pergamon. Known to the Hittites as far back as 1300 BC, the city was a successful trading centre, which kept alive and healthy through pragmatism – it had no defensive walls until fortified by the Seleucids in the 2 nd century BC. Alexander the Great was welcomed in, and used the city as a base throughout his Anatolian campaigns. The city finally declined and died during the Byzantine era when the river silted, stranding the port 12 km from the sea.
Imposing Aspendos is graced by one of the finest surviving Roman theatres in the world. Built during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD) and seating 15,000, the elaborate structure is nearly intact except for part of the upper cornice. Its architect was Xeno, a local lad, whose secret formula for creating such perfect acoustics has not yet been discovered – a coin dropped from the orchestra pit can be heard distinctly from the galleries. The Selcuks used the theatre as a caravansaray in the 13 th century; Ataturk suggested that it be used for grease wrestling. For 1,800 years neither earthquakes, the ravages of war, nor time have taken their toll. Today, the ancient theatre hosts concerts and a major opera and ballet festival in summer.
Side
Although founded as long ago as the 7 th century BC, the peninsula town of Side has undergone its most startling transformation over the past 15 years. With a population of some 60,000, it was the largest, richest port on the south coast, with an unsavoury reputation. Alexander the Great's biographer Arrian recorded that when his master captured the city in 333 BC, its people spoke a tongue unknown to the invaders – in fact it remains undeciphered to this day. Rampant piracy flourished, with prisoners sold as slaves in the town agora to be sent next to the island of Delos , a notorious depot for human wares in antiquity. |
