Antalya

Against a backdrop of mountains - to the west the bare limestone massif of the Lycian Taurus (Bey Daglari) plunging steeply down from 3,086m/10,125ft; to the east the Lower Cilician Taurus - the town clusters around the picturesque Old Harbor lying at the foot of a 23m/75ft-high cliff. Between the town and the high ridge of hills to the west, the broad pebbly Konyaalti beach - a major attraction for holidaymakers - extends in a wide sweep. Thanks to its sheltered situation Antalya has a subtropical climate, with very mild wet winters and almost rainless summers. The town's new harbor is the only one of any size between Izmir and Mersin.

History

In the 12th century B.C. Achaeans from the Peloponnese moved into Pamphylia (the region in which Antalya lies) and overlaid the indigenous population. A second wave of Greek immigrants followed in the seventh century when the Ionians occupied the existing settlements and established new ones. During the struggles between Rome and Antiochos the Great the area became of the kingdom of Pergamum, the ruler of which, Attalos II Philadelphos (159-38), founded the city of Attaleia, now Antalya, and made it capital of Pamphylia. In 133 Attaleia, together with the rest of the kingdom of Pergamum, passed into Roman hands, and thereafter formed part of the province of Asia. The Apostle Paul landed at Attaleia with his companions Barnabas and Mark on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor in A.D. 45-49. In the time of Hadrian the town was surrounded by a strong defensive wall. The Byzantines developed it still further, encircling it with a double ring of walls to repel Arab attacks in the eighth and ninth centuries. During the Seljuk period (from 1207) a number of handsome mosques were built and the town's defenses were strengthened. In Ottoman times the town - then also known as Adalia or Satalia - was divided into three, with separate areas for Christians, Muslims and those of other faiths. The iron gates between them were closed every Friday from noon to 1pm because of a prophecy foretelling a Christian assault at that time.