ANTALYA
Situated in a landscape morphologically contrasting with Antalya, main seaside resort of Turkey is an attractive city with its palm boulevards and its famous navy. In the old picturesque neighbourhood of Kaleiçi, crossing narrow streets one can find old wooden houses close to the walls of the city that has been created in the 2nd century by Attalo II, the king of Pergamo that he called Attaleia. After him, Roman, Byzantine, and Seljuk Empire occupied the city till when the city became under the reign of Ottomans. The elegant minaret of the Mosque Yivli Minare, in the city centre, built up by the Sultan of Selçuk, Alaeddin Keykubat in 13th century, is actually the symbol of Antalya. The Medrese of Karatay (theological college) in the Kaleiçi district belongs to the same period and it represents the most beautiful Seljuk example of the sculpture over stone. The two most important ottoman mosques of the city are the Murat Paşa of the 16th century, really remarkable for its majolica decorations, and Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque of the 18th century. Close to the seashore, the attractive İskele Mosque constructed around the end of the 19th century, based on 4 columns above a natural source. Probably, the Hıdırlık tower of the 2nd century used to be an original lighthouse. The Kesik Minare mosque reflects the long story of the city through the reconstruction underwent in the following periods of the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Seljuk Empire, and the Ottomans.
When, in the 130 AD, the emperor Adrian visited Antalya, they built up a gate with three arcades inside the city walls for his honour. Nowadays, close to the seashore, it is still possible to see the two towers that are borders to the gate. The Clock Tower in Kaleiçi Square is a part of the fortifications of the ancient city. From the Atatürk Park to the Karaalioğlu one, the multi-coloured exotic flowers and the bright sea of the bay with the mountains in the background reveal the reasons of...