Antalya

ABOUT ANTALYA

Antalya is a big city, much bigger than I thought it would be. In fact, when I looked on the map to get an idea about its size, I saw that it covered a large area. But unless we properly understand the scale of the map, we can’t really know for how big the place is.

There are over a million people living in the metropolitan area, although that’s of little relevance for visitors to Antalya. Personally, I was really only interested in its central area and the beaches where I wanted to spend several days, sunbathing and swimming.

I had a bit of a struggle deciding where to stay in Antalya. Certainly, I wanted to be in the city centre but, at the same time, not too far from the beach. However, that’s almost impossible in Antalya because the city is so big. As you will see in this and the next post, you have to carefully consider your preferences.

HADRIAN’S GATE

Antalya is an old city and there is a lot to see. The Hadrian’s Gate, built in the name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, testifies about the city’s long existence.

He visited Antalya in the year 130. Otherwise, most of what you can see in the city today is from the Ottoman era.

KALEIÇI

Kaleiçi is Antalya’s old historic area. Only fragments of the wall that encircled this area in the past remain, including the Hadrian’s Gate, the entrance to Kaleiçi from Atatürk street.

Kaleiçi is magical. Before I went to Antalya I knew that, the same as in most other Turkish cities, there would be an old historic centre, a remnant of the bygone Ottoman era.

But I was not prepared for such a beautiful old town. Most structures in Kaleiçi are from the 18th and 19th century, although mosques within this area are older.

When you see Kaleiçi, you understand that Antalya is a big and important tourist resort. As you can see in these photos, they beautifully restored the whole area and brought all buildings back to their former glory.

Apparently, a very few people live in this area, most buildings are small, family run hotels. Also, when you walk around Kaleiçi, you will see a lot of restaurants, coffee shops and various touristic shops that mainly sell souvenirs and other similar items.

In fact, you can buy almost everything there. There are also shops that sell beautiful, but slightly expensive carpets.

You will see small shops at every corner and they create a very picturesque image of the historical area.

There is also a section which is a proper bazaar, the same as in other Turkish cities. But the bazaar in Kaleiçi is really only for tourists, unlike in other places that I visited in Turkey with fewer tourists and where you predominantly see local people shopping.

AHI YUSUF MOSQUE (1249)

Certainly, the small Ahi Yusuf Mosque does not look like a typical mosque. You can’t see a minaret. I realised that this building was a mosque only when I literally stood in front of it.

This 770 years old building is the Seljuk era construction, built at the time when Antalya was part of the Seljuk Empire.

Unfortunately, the mosque was closed. Also, there was no one there that I could ask to open it for me, so that I can visit the mosque inside.

This is not the only mosque in Kaleiçi. However, most other mosques are more recent Ottoman era buildings although, when you think about it, they are also centuries old.

ANTALYA PORT

While you are in Antalya, make sure that you visit the port. I nearly missed it. A friend of mine, who worked in Antalya as a tourist rep over the summer, took me there one evening when we went for a walk around Kaleiçi.

Basically, when you enter Kaleiçi at the Hadrian’s Gate and you walk all the way through, you will arrive to the port on the other side of this historic area.

But because of the wall, you can’t see the port from the Old Town. Rather, when you arrive to the wall, you have to pass through it, to reach the port. That’s why I missed it when I went for a walk on my own, I didn’t know that the port was there.

CLOCK TOWER

The Clock Tower marks what used to be the upper limit of the Old Town. Built in 1244, it was part of the wall that encircled the city in the past.

Almost directly opposite the Clock Tower, you will see the Pazar Hammam. This historic structure is no longer a bath-house, today you can find various shops inside.

Also in the same square where the Clock Tower is, there is the Attulus II Philadelphus statue. He was the king of Pergamon and founder of Antalya.

In the photo below, behind the statue, you can see a pedestrian shopping street, where you will find various Turkish chains that sell clothes, shoes and other items. There are some coffee shops and restaurants in that street too, so that’s one more area where you can go for a walk.

I also went there, it was interesting and very busy, especially in the early evening hours.

YIVLIMINARE MOSQUE (1373)

The Yivliminare Mosque minaret dominates Antalya’s skyline. It’s probably the strangest thing that you can see in the city, because of its size and also because it’s different from minarets that you can see in Ottoman era mosques.

In fact, this mosque was originally built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I in 1230.

However, the mosque was reconstructed in 1373 and that year is shown on the inscription at the entrance of the mosque. At that time, Antalya was part of an expanding Ottoman state under Sultan Murad I.

Interestingly, that was the first time for me to come across the major Seljuk era construction during my travel in Turkey. In all other places that I visited before Antalya, Ottoman heritage dominates everything else. That’s also because Istanbul, Bursa and Izmir were never part of the Seljuk state.

There is, of course, a lot of Byzantine heritage in Istanbul, but I didn’t pay any attention to it, because of the time constraints and because it’s so vast that it requires a complete separate attention.

This mosque is included in a UNESCO List of Tentative World Heritage Sites. In reality, its minaret is the most impressive, but I think that the mosque is also very interesting, especially because it’s so different from Ottoman mosques.

In fact, it is the prime example of the Seljuk era architecture that I would also see later in Konya.

Not far from the Yivliminare Mosque, you will see a statue of the first Seljuk conqueror of Antalya in 1207, the Seljuk Sultan Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I.

THE REST OF ANTALYA

Outside of the Old Town, you will find some Ottoman heritage, however the rest of Antalya is a modern city, with modern-day constructions everywhere.

Both, Atatürk and Abdi İpekçi streets are full of shops, restaurants and coffee-shops and they are very interesting to see. That’s also how Antalya looks outside of its old historical centre.

I’m glad that I went to Antalya. For you, even if you go there outside of the touristic season, it’s worth a visit because of its historic Old Town. Kaleiçi is simply magical.

But, Antalya is a big city and going to Antalya can mean a lot of things, especially for people that go there to spend a week or two by the sea.

I was there for five days and I went to the beach almost every day. In my next post, I’ll write about my experiences and will give some useful tips with regard to where to stay and which beach to go to.