MUSEUM, HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL ITEMS
Antalya Museum : Founded in
1922 by Süleyman Fikri Erten and housed first in the
Alaaddin Mosque in the old city and then in the Yivli Minaret,
the museum was later moved to its current location. The
museum consists of 12 exhibit rooms and its gardens and
open galleries. In these halls the history of Antalya is
given in a chronological and instructive fashion starting
with the first humans and continuing without interruption
to the modern era.
Museum Tel: (+90-242) 238 56 88-89
Detailed
Information
Kaleici : Today the historical
old city of Antalya known as Kaleici (the inner castle)
is surrounded by two walls, most of which have fallen down.
The inner wall encloses the harbour in a semicircle. As
a result of restoration, Kaleici has turned into a major
tourist centre with guest-houses, bars, shops and restaurants,
and the Roman harbour has been turned into a modern, well-equipped
marina. As a result of the restoration work, the Ministry
of Tourism was awarded the Golden Apple (Tourism Oscar)
in April 1984 by FIJET.
Antalya Museum : Founded in 1922 by Suleyman Fikri
Erten and housed first in the Alaaddin Mosque in the old
city and then in the Yivli Minaret, the museum was later
moved to its current location 2 km further east. The museum
consists of 12 exhibition rooms and its gardens and open
galleries. In these halls the history of Antalya is given
in chronological order, starting with fossils, through
the Stone and Bronze ages, then through the classical and
Hellenistic periods. There are mosaics, the Gallery of
the Gods, Phrygian ornaments, and a room with Christian
art that includes pieces of the skull and jawbone of St
Nicholas, the original Santa Claus. The ethnography section
has a collection of Iznik ceramics, household implements
and weapons. Museum Tel:(+90-242) 238 56 88-89
The City Walls : What remains today are a few bastions
inside the city as well as Hadrian's Gate and its towers,
the large tower facing the harbour and a few pieces of
the harbour walls. One of the walls surrounds the yacht
harbour and the other the city, almost like horseshoe.
One of the remaining towers in the Castle Gate Square is
now used as a clock tower. There are four gates in the
city walls, which form entrances to the city.
Hadrian's Gate : The only city
gate to have survived until the present day is the most
attractive of the Pamphylia: Uckapilar (Three Gates), also
known as Hadrian's Gate, which is guarded by one tower
on either side. Built to honour the emperor Hadrian's visit
to the city in 130 AD, the whole gate, except for the columns,
is made of pure white marble. The reliefs and carvings
are extraordinary.
Old Houses of Antalya : With its hot summers and
mild winters, the houses in Antalya are designed to provide
protection not against the chill of winter but against
the merciless heat of summer. The stone overhangs and courtyards
help provide air circulation. The houses in Antalya can
be divided into three types based upon the design of the
main hall, which also serves as a storage area. The three
types are I halls, L halls and U halls. In the design of
these houses, great attention was paid to meeting the necessities
of daily life, while also providing harmony with nature
and the environment.
Perge : Situated 18 km east of
Antalya, Perge is in the city limits of Aksu Bucagi. Because
of its location on the Cilicia - Pisidia road, it was a
vital part of the province of Pamphylia, and was founded
around the same time as the other cities in the area (7th
century BC). It was an important city for Christians of
Perge who had worshipped the mother goddess Artemis. St.
Paul and Barnabas visited the city and wealthy benefactors
like Magna Plancia had a number of important memorials
built here.
The first excavations began in 1946 by Istanbul University
and they resulted in many important discoveries: The theatre
consists of three main sections: the seating, orchestra
and stage. It held 12,000 spectators, with 19 rows of seats
on the lower section, 23 on the top section, and a 52-metre
stage.
The stadium measures 34 square metres, with 13 rows of
seats on top of the vaults. The eastern and western sides
have 30 vaults each and the northern side has 10. For every
three vaults there is an entrance to the stadium, and the
other two were used as shops.
The Agora was the commercial and political centre of the
city, with shops surrounding the central courtyard, some
of which have mosaics on the floor. The agora measured
76 square metres, with a circular structure in the centre
with a diameter of 13.40 metres.
The colonnaded boulevard lies between the Hellenistic
Gate and the nympheum on the slopes of the acropolis. On
both sides of the street, 20 metres in width, are porticoes,
some up to five meters high, behind which are shops. The
street is divided into two by a 2-metre wide water canal
running through the middle.
Other structures include the necropolis, city walls, gymnasium,
Roman Baths, memorial fountain and the Greek and Roman
gates.
Termessos : The ruined city of Termessos, lying
34km west of Antalya in a rugged mountain valley, was founded
by the Solymi people, from the interior of Anatolia. Among
the important remains are the 4200-seat theatre and the
Roman stele that Augustus had built at the beginning of
the first century AD. The Odeon, the covered meeting hall,
has seating for 600 people. The five inter-connecting underground
cisterns were used for the storage of water and olive oil.
Other important remains include the Agora, with an open
western side and other sides colonnaded; the heroic memorial
of Hereon on top of a 6-metre high platform; the Corinthian-style
temple, the Temple of Zeus, the Lesser and Greater Temples
of Artemis, the gymnasium and the watch towers. In addition,
there are more than 1200 rock tombs.
Olympos : Lying between Kemer
and Adrasan is the ancient harbour village of Cirali, the
ruins of Olympos and the site of the Chimaera. The history
of Olympos dates back to the 2nd century BC when it was
an important Lycian city, although it was empty by the
6th century. The Olympians worshipped Hephaestos (Vulcan)
the god of fire, probably connected to the eternal flame,
or Chimaera, which still emerges from the mountain. Known
also as Yanartas (burning stone), the flame is caused by
the burning of natural gas emerging from the mountain.
Apart from the ruins, Olympos is well known for its simple
treehouse camps, where most tourists stay, and a natural
environment thanks to forests and vineyards near to a beautiful
beach.
Ariassos : The ancient remains of Ariassos, around
50km from Antalya, are located on a slope and contain baths
and rock tombs.
Phaselis : On the coast, 60km
south of Antalya, Phaselis was founded by the Rhodians
in the 7th century BC, and was known as the most important
seaport in Eastern Lycia. On the west of the city is Hadrian's
Gate, with shops and baths on either side. The city is
accessible both by road and sea.
Limyra : Believed to have been in existence since
the 5th century, Limyra is still in existence despite a
massive earthquake in the mid 19th century although was
emptied in the 7th and 9th centuries after the Arab invasions.
The city, which is 11km south, composes of three section;
the acropolis, areas of settlement, and necropolis.
Arycanda : Excavations of this city reveal that
it probably existed from the 5th century BC, and controlled
much of the Arycanda valley. Having survived a destructive
earthquake in 240 AD, the city maintained its prominence
until the 11th century, and its most important structures
still survive today.
Demre (Myra) : Demre was one of
the most important cities of the Lycian civilisation. 25km
west of Finike and 48km east of Kas, Demre was a place
of settlement from the 5th century BC. The city was deserted
in 9 A.D after the invasions of the Arabs. Rock tombs,
theatres and the Church of St. Nicholas (said to be the
original Santa Claus) are the most interesting sites in
the town today.
Simena (Kale) : Receiving its beauty from its history,
sea and sun, Simena is accessible from Ucagiz. The submerged
city and the ancient remains at the opposite island of
Kekova island, make it a worthwhile trip. There are traces
of Roman and other civilisations in Simena, the history
of which dates back to Lycian civilisation. There is a
small theatre carved into the rock, and Roman city walls.
Side: Manavgat-Side
Aspendos: The ancient city, 48km east of
Antalya, is most famous for its theatre, probably the best
preserved in Asia Minor. It is still in use today, and
stages the annual Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival every
summer. It was the scene of a huge bloody battle between
the Persians and the Greeks in 469 BC, and then ruled by
the Spartans 120 years later. The city became part of the
Seleucid kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great,
and then became part of the Roman province of Asia in 133
BC.
The famous theatre was built in the 2nd century AD, using
a Roman design, and it is still intact. Ataturk was responsible
for much of the restoration, who after visiting it declared
that it should be used as a theatre rather than simply
a museum.
In addition to the theatre, there is an acropolis on a
hilltop, of which the nymphaeum and basilica are still
fairly intact.
Opening hours: Summer 08.00 - 19.00; Winter 08.00 - 17.30.
Serik İlçesi-Aspendos
Kekova : It is between Kaş-Demre. It is an
ancient submerged city 500 m far from the Üçağız
Village in Mediterranean.
Patara : It is on Kalkan-Fethiye
road,nearly 10 km before Kalkan and is located at the south..
The colorful ceramics in the center of the city reveal
that the history of the city reaches back to 5 B.C. Besides
its being the birth place of St. Nicholas,it was one of
the most important seaports during the times of Alexander
the Great. Three gated city walls,one of which leads to
Patara, was constructed by the governor Modestus in 110
. One of the most important remnants is the theater currently
buried under the crystal clear sandy beaches of Patara.
Xanthos : Founded on the Xanthos
river basin,Xanthos is the biggest and the most ancient
city of Lycia. Having being remained independent till
the invasions of the Persians in 4292 B.C,Xanthos tried
hard to defend against the invasions;however, upon
realizing the remote victory the people of Xanthos
first murdered their women then commited suicide as
a whole.Afterwards 80 family imigrating to the region
refounded the city but approximately 100 years later
the city was totally destroyed by a great fire. Reesatblished
city thenceforth strengtened its connection with west
and became an important center.Still the city can not
be saved from misfortune. Upon resisting to the taxes
of the Roman Brutus, the city was ruined and the people
were dragged into war. And Xanthos became the city
of catastrophe.
The city was founded around center of Lycia and outside
it were the remnants of Roman city center. Roman theater
and the findings at the west side of the theater still
attracts the visitors. Harpy memorial on the rocks is one
of the most important traces. Only the duplication of the
work of art, the original of which is on exhibit in British
Museum in England,can be seen in the region.
Kaş (Antiphellos) : One of the Lycian towns,Kaş took
its name from the Greek word "Phellos" meaning stony place.
With its well preserved rock tombs and theater, Kaş is
a wonderful town on the Mediterranean coast.
