Iskenderun Attractions

South coast (Eastern Mediterranean)

Iskenderun, (formerly known as Alexandretta), the most important Turkish Mediterranean port after Izmir, lies on the south side of the Gulf of Iskenderun within the wooded foothills of the Amanus range, perhaps on the site of the ancient Alexandria Scabiosa.

The present-day town has little to offer the visitor and is very hot in summer. The harbor, the largest and the best on this stretch of coast, and sheltered by the surrounding hills, handles considerable shipping traffic. Around the harbor, which has a large jetty, are various modern installations (grain-stores, etc.).

History

The city of Alexandria, on the Issicus Sinus (Gulf of Issos), was probably founded some time after Alexander the Great's victory in the Battle of Issos (333). The town was intended to be the starting-point of the great caravan routes into Mesopotamia, but after Alexander's death the Seleucids preferred Antiocheia (Antakya) and Seleukeia Piereia. In the third century the town was destroyed by the Persians. In the fourth century it was known as Little Alexandria; the epithet Scabiosa reflects the fact that leprosy was prevalent in the area. After a period of decline under the Ottomans at the end of the 19th century, Iskenderun expanded from an insignificant harbor into the present town.