Antalya Tourist Attractions
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Top Tourist Attractions in Antalya
South coast (Eastern Mediterranean)Situation and ImportanceThe provincial capital of Antalya is delightfully situated at the innermost point of the Gulf of Antalya (Antalya Körfezi) on Turkey's southern coast.
Old Harbor
Since the restoration of the picturesque quarter below the citadel (kaleiçi) in Antalya, the Old Harbor, nestling in its recess in the cliffs, and the area surrounding it, with hotels, restaurants, boutiques and bazaars, have become a busy focus of tourist activity. The citadel, on the clifftop overlooking the small-craft harbor, has also recently been restored.
Yivli Minare
A little way northeast of the Old Harbor is Antalya's most striking landmark, the Yivli Minare (Fluted Minaret), a vigorous example of Seljuk architecture with a square base surmounted by an octagonal drum bearing the fluted shaft with its corbelled gallery round the top. The minaret, faced with brown tiles, belongs to a mosque converted from a former Byzantine church by Alaeddin Keykubad (1219-36).
Old Town
Features of interest in the narrow bazaar-filled streets of the Old Town of Antalya are a fortified gate with a clock-tower in the busy main square, the nearby Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque, the Seljuk Karatay Mosque (1250Ô and, farther south, the Kesik Minare (Truncated Minaret) beside the ruins of an abandoned mosque which was once a Byzantine church.
Hadrian's Gate
Considerable stretches of the Hellenistic and Roman town walls on the east side of the Old Town of Antalya have been preserved, sometimes incorporating later building. The most notable part is the well-preserved Hadrian's Gate, erected in honor of the Emperor Hadrian on the occasion of his visit to the town in A.D. 130. This imposing marble gateway, with two massive towers flanking its three arches, has rich sculptural decoration.
Municipal Park
Along the east side of Hadrian's Gate and the old town walls in Antalya runs a broad avenue, Atatürk Caddesi, with dual carriageways separated by a double row of stately date palms. It sweeps southwards in a wide arc to the Town Hall and Municipal Park. The latter, extending to the cliff edge overlooking the Gulf, offers some splendid views. At the northwest corner of the park can be seen the 13m/43ft-high Hidirlik Kulesi, the stump of a tower which may once have been a Roman lighthouse.
Archeological Museum
Definitely worth visiting is the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography, situated some 2km/1.25mi from the city center on the western outskirts of Antalya. Founded in 1919, it was originally housed in the mosque adjacent to the Fluted Minaret, before being moved to its new premises in 1972. The collection is displayed in exemplary fashion.The large Archeological section offers an excellent survey of the great periods in Pamphylia's history, from the neolithic on through the Bronze Age (urn burials) to Hellenistic and Roman times. Particularly notable are the gallery containing statues of divinities (mostly from Perge), the collection of items recovered by underwater archaeology, the Gallery of Roman Emperors, the magnificent series of sarcophagi, the mosaics from Seleukeia, and the fine coin collection with the Hoard of Probus, the Aspendos Hoard (silver), a Byzantine gold hoard found at Finike in 1959, and the Side Hoard (silver). There are also a number of icons.The rich ethnographic section of the museum displays a great variety of material of the Turkish period - weapons, clothing, stockings, jewelry, domestic equipment, books, tiles, glass, porcelain, locks, musical instruments and carpets, together with a loom.
More Turkey Resources
- Antalya tours and day trips by Viator
Map of Antalya Attractions
Map - Antalya
