Antalya

The city centre, where the Roman ruins and Seljuk architecture of Antalya proper are evident can be found at the intersection of Cumhuriyet and Ataturk Cad. Lara Beach is a quick bus ride to the southeast, Konyaalti to the west, and Kaleici rolling down to the old harbour below. The Fluted Minaret, the city’s signature sight one block west and slightly downhill off Cumhuriyet, is an unusual piece of architecture made of red brick with turquoise inlay erected during the 13th-century Seljuk reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad. Nearby is a 14th-century dervish lodge, and below that, a mosque that remains in service to this day. However, all that is left of the theological institution Karatay Medrese – known as the ‘demolished school’ and part of the community that surrounded the mosque – are the foundations, some toppled columns, and chance to have tea and a game of backgammon among fashionable Turks.

Several roads and staircases connect the Cumhuriyet to the marina. Day cruises are available from one of the marina’s many tour operators (try Samurai Yachting, +90 (0)242 247 4972, www.samuraiyachting.net). Up the hill, Kaleici begins. Located on the southeastern side of the harbour, Karaalioğlu Park offers splendid views of the Gulf of Antalya and the opportunity to poke around Hıdırlık Tower, a lighthouse during the Roman era.

The old quarter begins and ends at Hadriyan’in Kapisi (Hadrian’s Gate) on Ataturk Cad, built to honour Hadrian upon an imperial visit in AD150. Restoration work in the 1950s revealed the existence of the gate, which had been encased by a Seljuk wall for centuries. Once again the gate is a major by-way for locals travelling between Kaleici and the city centre.

Local history

A part of the Hittite empire from 2500-1400BC, the city wasn’t founded until the second century BC, when an expansionary king, Attalus II of Pergamum, told his scouts to search for heaven and Antalya (ancient Attaleia) is where they chose to stop. Antalya was later a major Roman port. By the 12th century a new force had emerged on the Anatolian steppes, as Central Asian tribes swallowed up the land with ruthless speed. The Seljuks held sway, leaving austere structures in Antalya that have stood the test of time. The Ottomans came to power in 1390.

Local politics

Stereotypes of Antalya usually include beer-swilling louts on package tours. However, the city has made an effort in recent years to reach a broader demographic. Russian tourism outstripped that from Western Europe for the first time in 2005, and local restaurateurs recently opened Antalya’s first kosher dining establishing.