Antalya Holidayworld

ADRASAN / ÇAVUSKOY

The settlement of Adrasan is located 90 km west of Antalya at the northern end of the bay of the same name. It lies on a level alluvial plain linked to the sea by a narrow valley and surrounded by Mount Kuz and the Þapþal Mountains in the West and Mount Musa in the northeast. The Bay of Adrasan, formed at the point where this plain joins the sea, exhibits the character of a natural port and has been in use as a port, where ships of the City of Olympos were safely sheltered, since ancient times. Read the rest of this entry »

BELDIBI
It is located at a distance of 25 km to the west of the provincial centre of Antalya. Beldibi is today included within the “Olympos Beydaðlarý National Coastal Park” and located on a thin, long plain covering an area of four thousand acres from cape Reis to Akyarlar. To the east of the plain mountains plunge very steeply into the sea, forming cliffs of falez rock. Read the rest of this entry »

KURSUNLU WATERFALLS

Located at a distance of 24 km east of the city centre, the waterfalls and their environs cover an area of 33 hectares. In the area, which takes the form of a botanical garden, there are 7 ponds connected by the formation of waterfalls. The 18 metre Waterfalls and the green space and beneficial birds in its environs make it a new conservation area. Furthermore, with its picnic and walking areas, and a restaurant, it is a nice place to relax.

MANAVGAT WATERFALL

Manavgat is situated at a distance of 76 km from Antalya, on the banks of the river Manavgat. Sorgun Ormaný Forest and Titreyen Göl Lake, which was formed as a result of the Manavgat River delta being filled with alluvia, are strikingly beautiful. In the North, the rock-filled Oymapýnar Dam Lake, constructed in the deep valley of the river Manavgat on the Taurus mountains, is yet another place well worth a visit, also for its jeep-safari tours. The fertile Manavgat plain, which mainly produces cotton, is suitable for the production of 45 different kinds of fruits and vegetables, including cereals and tropical fruits. Read the rest of this entry »

DÜDEN WATERFALLS AND ESTUARY

These are located 12 km from the city centre. The waterfalls, formed by a karstic depression, are 20 metres high and also spring from underground at the point where the water falls. By entering into Dilek Maðarasý (Cave of Wishes) located underneath the waterfalls it is also possible to pass to the rear side of the water. The location of the waterfalls has the appearance of a botanical heaven thanks to the rich variety of plants. In the deep valley formed by the falling and flowing water of the waterfalls there are promenades and trout restaurants. Read the rest of this entry »

ALANYA - KOREKESION
On the eastern boundary of Antalya and in the very midst of a narrow littoral formed by the Taurus Mountains with an arc away from the shore towards the North, the first settlement unit at an altitude of 250 m and 800 m in length, surrounded by natural beaches on both sides, situated on a peninsula steeply plunging into the sea, later expanded down to the beginning of the eastern littoral. Today, the area considered as one of the foremost centres of Turkish tourism is covered with banana and citrus fruit plantations. Read the rest of this entry »

ALARA AND ALARA HAN
The caravans travelling from Alaiye to Antalya and Konya have been staying at Alara Han (Inn) from the Middle Ages until recent times. The quadrangular caravanserai, with dimensions of 38×50 metres, located on the first plain to the eastern bank of Alara Creek, was built of dressed stone blocks with symbols visible thereon, except for the eastern walls. The Inn was reinforced by triangular and quadrangular struts on three façades. To the north is a portal embellished with lion’s head relief, crowned with a depressed arch. Read the rest of this entry »

ANDRIAKE/PORT OF MYRA

The most prominent ruin of Andriake, a harbour town annexed to the city of Myra and located at the point where Demre creek flows into the sea, is the rectangular Granarium, which consists of eight rooms. Next to the entrance gate of the structure consisting of 7 sections are the busts of Roman Emperor Hadrian and Empress Sabina, leaning on ornamented blocks. In the centre of the second gate, there are the reliefs of Sarapis and Pluton. Read the rest of this entry »

ARYKANDA / ARIF

It is an ancient city in ruins located to the west of Antalya and north of Finike, in close proximity to the Arif village. The remains of Arykanda, which are worth a visit, are half an hour’s walk away. It is known that the name of the city in the Luwian/Etruscan language was “Arukawanda/Aruwawanda” meaning “People having an Altar”. Arykanda, which was an acropolis city, was, after the hegemonies of Lycia, Persia, Macedonia, Ptolemaios, Seleucia and Rhodes, subordinated to Rome in 43 A.D.
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ASPENDOS - BELKIS

This is situated on the hill of an acropolis at a height of 40 metres, right by the side of the river Eurymedon-Köprüçay near the settlement of Serik, east of Antalya. The name of the city in the Luwian/Etruscan language was “Asiawanda” meaning “Country of Horses”. Named Ahhiyawa, or “Asitawada” in the Hittite inscriptions, the history of the city regarded as being within the boundaries of the area; it began as an Acropolis city during about 3000 B.C. Read the rest of this entry »

CHIMAERA / ÇIRALI

The place northeast of the Ancient City of Olympos at an elevation of 250 m above the sea is known by Turks as “Yanartaþ/Çýralý”. The area is called Yanartaþ (Chimaera) because of the inflammable gas, which consists of a 46% hydrogen and 34% methane compound, issuing from the cracks formed as a result of the tectonic earthquakes at those places where the serpentine land and limestone rocks meet. According to mythology, Bellerophon, the son of the Luwian Lord Glaucos, desires to own Pegasus, the winged horse.
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KALKAN

Kalkan, located to the southernmost end of the Teke peninsula, by the small bay of the same name, is a new settlement unit. Obviously, the first settlers of the area were the Tekelioðlu Turkomans who first immigrated to the Gömbe and Elmalý plateaux and, then, moving down to the south, settled and built their villages in the Eþen Valley and the Yeþilköy-Fýrnaz plains. Read the rest of this entry »

KARAIN CAVE

Karain Cave is located about 30 km northwest of Antalya at Yaðcý Village, subordinated to the settlement unit of Yeniköy. It is a prehistoric cave, located at a height of about 370 metres from the sea and about 80 metres up the slope, where the Western Taurus calcareous zone borders on the travertine plain. It was Professor I. Kýlýç KÖKTEN, Professor of Prehistory at the Ankara Faculty of Language, History and Geography who began the research on Karain Cave in a systematical manner from 1946 up to 1973, Read the rest of this entry »

KAS / ANTIPHELLOS

Located to the southernmost point of the Teke peninsula, at the tip of the bay of the same name, is the settlement of Kas. The town has become a true centre for tourism thanks to its increasing touristic potential during the recent years. The origin of the name of the city is traced back to the “Aprillans”, kinsmen of Lukka/Lycians among the Nordic tribes who migrated to Anatolia, moving down to the south in 3000s B.C. Read the rest of this entry »

KEKOVA ISLAND

The island that gives its name to the area is in front of the village of Kaleköy and it is accessible by boat. It is a long and narrow island measuring 7.4 km long by 500 metres wide, at its section closest to the shore. The deepest point between the island and the shore is 104 metres. The island is covered with maquis and red pine trees are found at certain places. Wild olive trees are the most abundant vegetation on the island where there is also a spring. Read the rest of this entry »

KÖPRÜLÜ KANYON / BEÞKONAK NATIONAL PARK

Köprülü Kanyon (Bridged Canyon) National Park is located at a distance of 65 km from Side on the hillsides of the Taurus Mountains. Within the Park flows the River Köprü, 120 km long, between the valleys and canyons. The National Park covers an area of 37 thousand hectares. Mount Dipoyraz located to the east is 2.980 m high, with its hillsides covered with forests. The river valley within the Park is 14 km long and, at places, 400 m high and in the form of a canyon with steep walls. Read the rest of this entry »

LETOON / KUMLUOVA

To the west of Xanthos-Creek Eþen located are the remains of the ancient city Letoon within the settlement Kumluova. The name of the city is “Ladauwa” in the Luwian/Etruscan original, meaning “worshipping place of the mother goddess Lada”. History of this sacred place dates back to thousands of years before Christ. The Mother Goddess Cult found everywhere in Anatolia unavoidably took root in Lycia, too. Read the rest of this entry »

ECONOMY

• The province of Antalya boasts one of the most important cities in the country in social, cultural and economic terms.
• Antalya has seen the fastest population growth in Turkey in recent years.
• There has been a significant increase in immigration to the area from other cities depending on regional development.
• Tourism, agriculture and all industry involved in agriculture are the economic mainstays of the region.
• The current pace of development is expected to continue into the coming years.
According to statistics collated in 1996, of the 81 cities in Turkey Antalya is the 7th most developed.
- In terms of population and national income it is 8th Read the rest of this entry »

DAILY LIFE

Thanks to its historical background the Antalya region enjoys a rich culture and ethnography. In addition to the characteristics of settled cultures, the local people also synthesised the characteristics of the yörük (nomadic) culture, thus establishing a unique culture of their own. The migration of the local people from the shore towards the uplands on the Taurus mountains because of the excessive temperature during summers created a need as such, forcing them to produce the needs of the yörük culture in addition to the products grown on the coast. These people, owning herds of sheep and goats before everything else, first produced felt tents from the wool of these domestic animals in order to shelter themselves on the uplands and, alongside this, specialised in the production of animal produce such as milk, butter and cheese. They dried various fruits in the mountains and made jams and pickles with them, and made molasses from grapes. Read the rest of this entry »