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.
Wonderful mosaics and statutes to get an up close view.
A fabulous place to view mosaics. This small museum is a treasure. Well worth your time and minimal expense if you are in the area.
Very Arabic feeling pleasure to walk in the shaded side streets on d minus side hard pressed to find a decent place to enjoy a social glass of wine to go down with the excellent food on offer in various restaurants
great and interesting facts , it gives me a glimpse of how life was hundreds of years ago. I couldn't believe to see the rich artifacts of the past which i have seen only on books and posters before. now seeing them personally amazed me especially the mozaic paintings, how could they managed to collect different colors and shapes of…
Antakya has an incrediblly important place in the acient roman history and the museum is supposed to show the most beautiful mozaiks that built in the acient roman history, howver the museum is so unsufficient showing them, no lingual assistance, no books or hardly find a giftshop inside the museum.
Regardless of theses, it is till worth take a tour…
The main attraction for this museum is a large collection of Roman era mosaics. The few Hitite artifacts are magnificent.
Easy to find–it is on the main traffic circle in the heart of the city.
Fantastic place should be seen. Full of history and in the hearth of Antakya. You have to visit the tiles as well
This is the place where the Christianity was born as a religion literally. So, the spiritual meaning of the place is extreme and it has been for years one of the pilgrimage destinations for Christians. However, the remnants are almost non existent, it's a cave with very few aspects remaining from the early ages of the religion. Furthermore, the church…
A lot of history at the church. Very small and simple. Easy to visit. Note visitors must be able to climb steps to visit the church. Nice views of Antakya.
Worth to see. Good pieces being exhibited. Mostly mosaics but there are also some statues, sarcophagus etc.