Antalya

Antalya is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province. Located on Anatolia's flourishing southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish city on the Mediterranean coast with over one million people in its metropolitan area.^[1]^[2] Antalya Province, which includes the city, is home to almost two million people and is the fastest-growing province in the country.

The city that is now Antalya was first settled around the 200 BC by the Attalid Dynasty of Pergamon, which was soon subdued by the Romans. Roman rule saw Antalya thrive, including the construction of several new monuments, such as Hadrian's Gate, and the proliferation of neighboring cities. The city has changed hands several times, including to the Byzantine Empire in 1207 and an expanding Ottoman Empire in 1391.^[3] Ottoman rule brought relative peace and stability for the next five-hundred years. The city was transferred to Italian suzerainty in the aftermath of World War I, but was recaptured by a newly independent Turkey in the War of Independence.

Turkey's industrialization and modernization has seen a complete revival of Antalya's socioeconomic and political landscape. Large-scale development and governmental funding has seen the city become a world tourism hub, hosting a record 12.5 million tourists in 2014.^[4] Symbolic of the city's rapidly developing tourism economy, Antalya will host the 2015 G-20 summit in November of this year.

The area is shielded from the northerly winds by the Taurus Mountains. Antalya has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with hot and dry summers and mild and rainy winters. Around 300 days of the year are sunny, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight per year. The mean sea temperature ranges between 16 °C (61 °F) in winter and 27 °C (81 °F) in summer.^[22] The highest record air temperature reached 45 °C (113 °F) in July which normally averages as high as 34.4 °C (93.9 °F) and the lowest record dropped to −4 °C (25 °F) in February, when the low average is as low as 6.1 °C (43 °F).

Festivals and events

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: national film festival usually held in September / October.
Antalya Television Awards: awarded annually since 2009.^[33]^[34]
Mediterranean International Music Festival: October, 6 days
Antalya International Folk Music and Dance Festival Competition: Last week of August
Aspendos International Opera and Ballet Festival: June and July

Main sights

Antalya has beaches including Konyaaltı, Lara and Karpuzkaldıran. Beydağları and Saklikent are used for winter sports.

There are a number of mosques, churches, madrasahs, masjids, hans (caravanserai) and hamams (Turkish bath) in the city. Kaleiçi, the harbor, which the city walls enclose, is the oldest part of the city. Kaleiçi contains historic houses with traditional Turkish and local Greek architecture.

Historic sites in the city center[edit]

The Atatürk Monument at Cumhuriyet Meydanı (Republic Square.)

Kaleiçi: the historical center of the city.
Ancient monuments include the City Walls, Hıdırlık Tower, Hadrian's Gate (also known as Triple Gate), and the Clock Tower.
Hadrian's Gate: constructed in the 2nd century by the Romans in honor of the Emperor Hadrian.
İskele Mosque: A 19th-century Mosque near the Marina.
Karatay Medrese: A Medrese (Islamic theological seminary) built in 1250 by Emir Celaleddin Karatay.
Kesik Minare (Broken Minaret) Mosque: Once a Roman temple then converted to a Byzantine Panaglia church and finally into a mosque.
Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque: An 18th-century Mosque built in honor of Tekeli Mehmet Paşa.
Yat Limanı: the harbour dating to Roman era.
Yivli Minare (Fluted Minaret) Mosque: Built by the Seljuks and decorated with dark blue and turquoise tiles, this minaret eventually became the symbol of the city.

Museums

Kaleiçi Museum:^[35] Opened in 2007 by the Mediterranean Civilizations Research Center (Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Araştırma Merkezi)^[36]
Atatürk's House Museum
Antalya Toy Museum. The Antalya Metropolitan Municipality opened the exhibition facility in 2011.^[37]
Suna & İnan Kıraç Kaleiçi Museum : An ethnographic museum run by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation.

Transportation

Kenan Evren Avenue (popularly known as "KonyaaltıAvenue") with a tram line.

The main transportation to the city is by air and land. Sea routes are still under development. In 2007, the airport added a new terminal.

The city has a main port at the south of the Konyaaltı.

Buses

A bus of Antalya Ulaşım.

There is a network of look-alike Dolmuşes that are privately owned and operated minibuses, under municipal government control.

Antalya Ulaşım, a municipally-owned corporation, runs the public bus system. The corporation owns Antobus and Antray. Antobus was started in September 2010. In 2010, the city planned to increase from 40 to 140 more buses.^[47]

Payment for public transportation was made in cash until the launch of a public transportation card, Antkart, in late 2007. The card system met with criticism and was subsequently canceled in June 2009, returning to a cash system. Halkkart has been used for the transportation system since the summer of 2010. Halkkart is managed by A-Kent Smart City Technologies under the control of Antalya Metropolitan Municipal government. Passengers can use identified cards to take buses or trams.^[48]

Rail

A tram system, opened in 1999, runs from Antalya Museum, and the Sheraton Voyager and Falez hotels, along the main boulevard through the city center at Kalekapisi,Hadrian's Gate, Karaalioglu Park, and ending at Talya Oteli. Trams depart on the hour and half-hour from the terminal (east and west), and reach Kalekapisi between 10 and 15 minutes later.

In December 2009, a 11.1 kilometres (6.9 mi) light rail line Antray was opened from one of the main city public bus hubs northwest to beyond suburban areas and the Zoo. An extension to Airport, Aksu and Expo 2016 site is on planning stage.

Major routes

The infrastructure such as roads and drains are struggling to catch up with the increase in population and tourists.

Airports[

Antalya Airport has two international terminals and one domestic terminal. In 2007, its number of passengers on international flights surpassed the total number at Istanbul Ataturk Airport and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport for the first time, officially earning the title of "the capital of Turkish tourism".^[49]^[50]