ABOUT ANTALYA
Also known as the Turkish Riviera Antalya, where the pine-clad Toros (Taurus) Mountains sweep down to the sparkling clear sea, is the tourism capital of Turkey. The region, bathed in sunshine for 300 days of the year, is a paradise for sunbathing, swimming, and sports activities like windsurfing, waterskiing, sailing, mountain climbing and spelunking. If you come to Antalya in March or April, you can ski in the mornings and in the afternoons swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean.

HISTORY AND CULTURE
Antalya has been continuously inhabited since its founding in 159 BC by Attalos II, a king of Pergamum, who named the city Attalefa after himself. When Emperor Hadrian visited Phaselis in Antalya in 130 AD a beautifully decorated three-arched gate with Corinthian columns was built into the city walls in his honour. It was the only entrance through the city walls.
The fortifications of the Kaleiçi district are the common heritage of the Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans. The elegant, fluted minaret of the Yivli Minare Mosque in the centre of the city, built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat in the 13th century, has become Antalya's symbol. The two most important Ottoman mosques in the city are the 16th century Murat Paşa Mosque, remarkable for its tile decoration, and the 18th century Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque. Since 1972, the inner harbour and Kaleiçi have been under preservation for their historical and cultural significance.

ANTALYA ANCIENT CITIES

Patara (Ovagelemis)
It is located in 41 km distance from Kaş on the route of Fethiye-Kaş. Throughout the ancient times, Patara had secured its place as one of the most strategic towns of the Lykian region. Its harbor served the prosperity of the Roman and Byzantine empires greatly.

Xanthos (Kinik)
It is located in 45 km distance in the Kınık district. It had served as one of the greatest religious and administrative centres of the Lykian region.

Antiphellos (Kas)
Antiphellos is the historical name of Kaş. It is on the connecting point of the Karia and Lykia regions. The town that still preserves its ancient charm is on the connecting point of the Karia and Lykia regions.

Perge (Aksu)
Perge (18 km from Antalya) was an important city of ancient Pamphylia, originally settled by the Hittites around 1500 BC. St Paul visited this city on his first missionary journey. The theater stage has finely carved marble relieves and other carvings from around the city are displayed in the stadium.
Olympos (Çıralı-Yanartaş)
The ancient city of Olympos is situated on the southern side of Mountain Tahtalı. A temple gate possibly built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD), part of a bridge, and a Roman theatre also remain from antiquity. The outer walls and towers around the bay date from the Middle Age.

Myra (Demre, Kale)
The ancient city of Myra, now called Demre or Kale is 25 km west of Finike. It was inhabited as early as 500 BC. St. Nicholas, who was born in Patara, was the bishop of Myra during the fourth century AD and died there in 345.

Aspendos
It is the most important city in the Pamphylia region. It is situated in 48 km distance from Antalya to the East. Aspendos is crowned by the world's best preserved amphitheatre. The theatre was built by Zeno the Architect during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

MUSEUMS

Antalya Museum
Founded in 1922 by Süleyman Fikri Erten and housed first in the Alaaddin Mosque in the old city and then in the Yivli Minaret, the museum was later moved to its current location. The museum consists of 12 exhibit rooms, gardens and open galleries. In these halls the history of Antalya is given in a chronological and instructive fashion starting with the first humans and continuing without interruption to the modern era.

Natural and National Parks
Within the borders of Antalya, there are four national parks and one natural park all of which offer wonderful opportunities for camping and hiking.

Olympos National Park
To the west of Antalya rise the snow-capped peaks of the Olympos range, where many antique cities, caves bearing the mark of early man, innumerable plants and animals are under protection in the Olympos National Park. This park encompasses a unique variety of flora in a small area. From 1989 on, no permission has been given for any sort of construction. Experts cliam that up till now only 7 out of the Park's 1000 species of plants has yet been classified.

Koprulu Kanyon National Park
Bridge Canyon National Park (Köprülü Kanyon Milli Park) is an ideal stop to arrive in an excursion from Antalya, Belek or Side. In the Park, you could go for either rafting or hiking or instead you could explore the ruins of the Roman theatre, city walls, and Temple of Zeus in the mountain town of Selge (Altinkaya).

Termessos National Park
Termessos possesses an unusual richness of rare plants and animal species, which have been under protection in the Termessos National Park. While driving on the Antalya-Burdur highway ( 11 km ) in the direction of Korkuteli, the Termessos signpost will appear 14 km further on, and Termessos itself is a further 9 km. It is an extensive park and that is why covering its entire ground requires time. The mountainous character of the Park creates a tough but an equally enjoyable hiking route.

ACTIVITIES
Antalya offers wonderful opportunities for activities such as golf, water sports, skiing, mountain and nature sports and congress and faith tourism.

Night Life
Antalya has a very colourful night life. Especially, during the summer months, the award-winner marina and its surrounding host a rich variety of discos, bars and pubs all of which are very popular among both the tourists and locals. Likewise in Kemer and Titreyengöl there are plenty of very appealing pubs, rock bars and traditional Turkish taverns. Antalya's night life becomes even more exciting during the International Golden Orange Film Festival.

WHAT TO EAT
Antalya enjoys an authentic cuisine which is a wonderful blend of the Mediterranean and Arabic influences. Among its specialties, there are the Kulaklı Soup whose ingredients are chickpeas and small diced meat, Tahinli Piyaz, which is a dried-bean salad seasoned with crushed sesame seeds, Tandır (tandoor) Kebap, Kabak Tatlısı (pumpkin desert) sweetened by crushed sesame seeds and grape syrup and bergamot jam.

DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT
Seeing the ruins of the famous ancient cities scattered all around the city, visiting the Antalya Museum, walking up the gorge at Saklikent, seeing the ruins at Perge and Termessos, walking through Kaleici and the old houses of Antalya, taking pictures of the snowdrops in Akseki, buying a Dosemalti carpet and tasting the local jams and jellies.