Antakya

Antakya  is the centre of  Hatay Province in southern Turkey, near the border of Syria. 
Known as Antioch in ancient times, the city has historical significance for Christianity, as it was the place where the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first time. The city and its massive walls also played an important role during the Crusades.Subsequent rulers of the area include King of Macedonia Alexander the Great who, after defeating the Persians in 333 BC, followed the Orontes south into Syria. The city of Antioch was founded in 300 BC, after the death of Alexander, by the Seleucid King Seleucus I Nicator. It had an important role as one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire and Byzantium, and was a key location of the early years of Christianity, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the rise of Islam, and the Crusades.






  • The Ottoman Habib-i Neccar Camii, the oldest mosque in Antakya and one of the oldest in Anatolia.
  • The labyrinth of narrow streets and old Antakya houses. This district is the oldtown in fact.
  • Titus/Vespasianus Tunnel-Samandagı. It is approximately 35 km. far from the centre.
  • Beşikli Cave and Graves (the antique city of Seleukeia Pierria)
  • St. Simon Monastery
  • Bakras Castle
  • The panoramic view of the city from the heights of the Habib-i Neccar Mountain

Touristic places

The long and varied history has created many architectural sites of interest. There is much for visitors to see in Antakya, although many buildings have been lost in the rapid growth and redevelopment of the city in recent decades.

  • Hatay Archaeology Museum has the second largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world.
  • The rock-carved Church of St Peter, with its network of refuges and tunnels carved out of the rock, a site of Christian pilgrimage. There are also tombs cut into the rock face at various places along the Orontes valley.
  • Old market district. It offers plenty of traditional shops, where you can explore what you have not seen before. It is exactly in the city centre, you are in when you see the sign Uzun Çarşı Caddesi.
  • The seedy Gündüz cinema in the city centre was once used as parliament building of the Republic of Hatay.
  • The waterfalls at the Harbiye / Daphne promenade.