Antakya, also known as Antioch, Antioch-on-the-Orontes is the capital of Hatay Province, Mediterranean Turkey. It is not to be confused with Antalya, another city in Mediterranean Turkey, several hundred kilometers to the west.
This city in the very south of Turkey was an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches. Today it’s a truly multicultural place, where you can hear prayers in many different tongues. Many sects of Christianity (Greek Orthodoxy, Syriac Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism to name a few) and Islam (Sunni and Alawi), as well as Judaism, are all represented with their dedicated temples in Antakya.
Ethnically, Arabs constitute almost half of the population whereas the other half is constituted by Turks. Arabs in the city speak Levantine (Shami) dialect of Arabic, which is also prevalent in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
The city is not located on the sea-shore, but the Asi River (formerly known as the Orontes River) flows through the city center.
Church of St. Peter in Antakya : One of the oldest churches of Christianity.
Must see places in Antakya
- Mosaic Museum (Mozaik Müzesi) or the Antakya Archeological Museum in the city has the second largest collection of classical/Roman mosaics in the world. The museum also features a good coin collection, artifacts from the Iron and Bronze ages found in sites nearby and a very impressive sarcophagus with great reliefs. You can check many items from the collection through the official website of the museum.
- One of the oldest churches of Christianity, Church of St. Peter, is a must see in Antakya. Entrance to the church is 8 lira (as of Nov 2010). The church is about a 30 minute walk from the museum. To reach the church you need to go across from the museum, through the bazaar and at the end (when you exit the bazaar) make a left and go on for about over a kilometer – the church will be visible up on the hillside.
- Büyük Antakya Parkı is the park that is located just in the midst of the city, by the River Asi and behind the famous mosaic museum of the city. Many locals visit the park during the day, and especially early in the morning to do sports. Note that there are many open air tea houses within the park, hence it’s the address to go for a tea or coffee or hookah when the weather is nice.
- Titus Tunnel, Cevlik, Samandağı, Antakya. The Titus Tunnel (Titüs Tüneli) is a Roman engineering marvel. During the reign of Emperor Vespasian (69-79 AD), the Roman governors of Seleucia Pieria (Samandag), the port city for Antioch ad Orontes (Antakya), decided to divert a river. They put Roman legionnaires, sailors and prisoners to work cutting a channel along and through the rock for about 1.4 km (nearly a mile). Continued under Emperor Titus (79-81), inscriptions tell us it was completed during the reigns of the Antonine emperors decades later. Today the channel is dry, but still worth a visit. A small parking area and entrance is just inland from the beach at Samandag. A path ascends along the channel, open to the sky, up and down steps and rocks, to where an arched limestone footbridge crosses. Above the footbridge, the channel continues into the solid rock. You’ll need a powerful flashlight/torch to continue.
The museum is at the downtown and on the banks of Asi (Orontes) river. If you wish to imagine the wealth and luxury of this ancient city in centuries BC, please visit this private website to see the mosaic decorations of the excavated houses and not to miss the visit to the museum:
http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/antakya_museum&page=all
Go early, because you'll want to spend the better part of day here.
We spent a week in Antakya and loved every minute. The old streets were ripe with history with a modern flair. Good restaurants and street food and the old market was very much a local favorite without that tourist appeal.
Antakya Old city is a fascinating mix of old and new, buildings dating back to the Byzantian times mixed with a modern but tastefully constructed modern shopping precinct. It is a maze of tiny streets with the locals sitting outside or on their terraces its like going back 100 years. The buildings are remarkably well preserved and are almost all…
Would be great to have a small "hotel de charme" in one of those old stone houses!
This Museum has a fantastic collection of Mosaic floors (from the days when it had a population twice as large as the present 140K and was capital of Roman Syria).
There is some other stuff but the Mosaics are stunning and well presented.
Highly Recommended
Said to be the first Christian church made by St. Peter. It’s built into a hillside cave. The cave opening is large and the church was created by enclosing the entrance of the cave with a stone wall. They adorned the wall with star shaped windows and arches. Inside there are stability arches, and a chair and table carved from…
Lots of mosaics and a few interesting sarcophagi. Not a lot else
A must see place if you visit Antakya, used to called Antioch in the roman empire. The mosaics are so amazing, however if you travel without guide, you need to get detail information about the mosaics first as the museum you hardly find detailed informations inside the museum.
The main thing is dont go there expecting a revolutionary experience. It is small and quite; however if you are in the area you should visit it. It cost 8 Turkish Lira per person, you can go inside and take pictures. The employees speak English and are there should you need them.
It depends on how important religion is to…