Marjinal Travel

This important tourism region is located in the southwest of Turkey, 42 km south of Antalya. This region has grown very fast in this field, especially within the last 15 years and has added new 5 star hotels and vacation villages into its structure.
Besides the great holiday villages around the district, many big and little hotels are in a position to answer all kinds of accommodation requirements.
During the trip from Antalya to Kemer, which takes 40 minutes, pine trees will accompany you. At one side where is the Taurus Mountains will be on the other side and many impressive panoramas worthwhile to see, will fascinate you. Then you will arrive at the center of Kemer.. Kemer, at the feet of the western Taurus Mountain, extending down the 52 km long coast, seems to mix up with the blue of the Mediterranean and the green of the Taurus pine trees. Many bays and small natural harbors are present in its indented coast - line.

Kemer also offers many opportunties to those who intent to stay away from crowded places. You can participate to boat tours in the turquoise colored coasts of the Mediterranean sea or you can experience different excitements in the tracks of the Taurus mountains by joining one of the jeep safaris.

A modern marina with a capacity of 320 yachts makes Kemer also an important yachting tourism center. The marina and the 52 km long coastline has fulfilled the criteria set by the European Foundation for Environmental Education (FEEK) and obtained the right for the Blue Flag. The spaciousness of The sea and the pine tree covered high mountains will give you a comfortable peacefull feeling in the hot summer days of the Mediterranean climate. The average air temperatures in Kemer are 10°C in winter and 28°C in summer. With its 300 sunny days in the year, Kemer provides you a wide range of time to select your holiday period. How many places in the world do you know, where you can go for skiing and have fun at the beach in the same day?.

History

Researches on Kemer do not show further information other than being a Lycian town. But with the information gathered from the residents, Kemer which was called Eski Köy (old village) before 1910's had turned into a lake and swamp after the floods coming from the mountains. Later in the years of 1916 - 1917, residents of Kemer built a 23 km long stone wall to the mountain skirts to be protected from the floodings. Because of that wall, it had started to be called Kemer which means "Arch" in Turkish.

Evidence of human habitation dating back over 200 000 years has been discovered in the Carain caves 30 km to the north of Antalya city. Other finds dating back to Neolithic times and more recent periods show that the area has been populated by various ancient civilisations throughout the ages.

Records from the Hittite period refer to the area as part of the "Lukka Lands" (from which "Lycia" is derived) and document the lively interaction going on between provinces in the second millennium BC. Like their descendents, the Lukkans were known for their seamanship (especially their piracy) and demonstrated a fiery independent spirit. Neither the Hittites, nor the kingdom of Arzawa on the west coast, could ever keep them at peace for long.

Historical records document how cities developed independently, how the area as a whole came to be called Pamphylia and how in Classical times a federation of cities was set up in the province. There are also tales of the migration of the Akha clan to the area after the Trojan war.

Antalya had entered the sovereignty of Lydian Kingdom from 7th century BC. The reign of the kingdom of Lydia in west Anatolia came to an end in 560 BC after it was defeated by the Persians during the battle of Sardis in 546 BC. The Macedonian commander Alexander the Great stoped the Persian rule and in around 334 BC Alexander the Great conquered the cities of the area one by one - except for Termessos and Sillyon which managed to repulse his armies in 333 BC. Antalya itself was founded later. With the death of Alexander in 323 BC, a long battle erupted between his commanders that lasted until 188 BC.

With the defeat of the Seleucid army at Apamaea began the reign of the kingdon of Pergamom. In 150 BC Attalos II, king of Pergamom, founded the city of Attalia (Greek: Attaleia -present day Antalya) to base his powerful naval fleet. When Attalos III, the last king of Pergamom, died in 133 BC he left his kingdom to the Romans. After that an era starts in the region that the pirates and small cities belonging to pirates play a major role. Christianity started to be spread in the region after 2nd century. During the Byzantine sovereignty, it is known that Antalya had a big development era until 5th and 6th centuries. In these centuries, Antalya had reached beyond the city walls. Starting from 7th century, the Muslim Arabs had started to be dominant in the region. The army of Louis VII. sailed thence for Syria in 1148, and the fleet of Richard of England rallied there before the conquest of Cyprus. Between the years 1120-1206, Antalya had agained passed under the sovereignty of Byzantines. Antalya played a considerable part in the medieval history of the Levant. Kilij Arslan had a palace there.

Conquered by the Seljuk Turks of Konia in 1207 A.D. and then Alanya in 1220 A.D. ending the Byzantine rule for the last time, and made the capital of the province of Tekke, it passed after their fall through many hands, including those of the Venetians and Genoese, before its final occupation by the Ottoman Turks under Murad II. (1432).

The Arabic traveller Ibn Battuta who came to the city in between 1335-1340 noted: "The people of the city are living in separate neighborhoods according to their ethinicity and religion. The Christian merchants are living in a neighborhood called Mina. The neighborhood is surrounded by a wall and the gates of the walls are closed on Friday nights. The Greeks live in a different neighborhood and it is also surrounded by a wall. The Jews also have their own neighborhood surrounded by walls. The Muslims are living in the largest part. This part includes a small mosque and madrasah with a lot of hamams, rich, organized and large bazaars. The city is surrounded with a large wall that includes all of the neighborhoods that we mentioned above."

In the 18th century, in common with most of Anatolia, its actual lord was a Dere Bey. The family of Tekke Oglu, domiciled near Perga, though reduced to submission in 1812 by Mahmud II., continued to be a rival power to the Ottoman governor till within the present generation, surviving by many years the fall of the other great Beys of Anatolia. The records of the Levant (Turkey) Company, which maintained an important agency here till 1825, contain curious information as to the local Dere Beys. The population as of 1911 of Antalya, which included many Christians and Jews, then living, as in the middle ages, in separate quarters, the former round the walled mina or port, was about 25,000. The port was served by coasting steamers of the local companies only. Antalya(then Adalia) was an extremely picturesque, but ill-built and backward place. The chief thing to see was the city wall, outside which runs a good and clean promenade and which survives to this day. The government offices and the houses of the better class were all outside the walls.

The brief occupation of the area by the Italians came to an abrupt end after the First World War with the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The area is now registered as a province of the Republic of Turkey.

A notable historical figure who visited Antalya was Paul of Tarsus, as recorded in the biblical book, the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 14:25-26), wherein Antalya is referred to as Attalia. St. Paul and St. Barnabas went to Antalya and sailed from there to Antioch after preaching in the Pisidia and Pamphylia regions.

Kaleici: It is the historical center of the city which embraced many civilizations during time. It is now restored and has became a most attractive touristic centre with its hotels, bars, clubs, restaurants, and shopping. Kaleici retains all the original ancient Turkish archaeological characteristics. The port's marina has been completely restored. The restoration activities in Kaleici won the Golden Apple Prize, the Oscar of tourism.

The City Walls: The memorial Hadrian Arch and The Clock Tower are remarkable and date back to Hellenistic era.

Antalya Museum: A prize winning museum and one of the most notable archaeology museums, of the world. It is also the only museum in Turkey with a children's department exhibiting ancient monuments appealing to children.

Kaleici Museum: Opened by the Mediterranean Civilizations Research Center (Akdeniz Medeniyetleri Arastirma Merkezi) it is newly opened and already has a very rich collection.

Hadrian's Gate: The Three Gates" (Uckapilar in Turkish) is a triumphal arch which was built in the name of the Roman emperor Hadrianus, who visited Antalya in 130 A.C. It has three arched gates. According to the legend, those were the gates under which Belkis, the Queen of Saba, passed with her ships full of diamonds, on her way to visit Hz. Süleyman King Solomon in Antalya. Sultan Belkis is said to have passed under those gates and to have enjoyed many a happy day in the palace in Aspendos.Formerly the city walls enclosed the outside of the gate and it was not used for many years. This may be the reason why it has not been harmed, and it was only revealed when the walls collapsed. It is considered as Pamphylia's most beautiful Gate. The upper part has three apertures in the shape of a cupola, and except for the pillars is built entirely of white marble. The ornamentation is very striking. The original Gate was two storeys but little is known of the top storey.

On either side of the Gate are towers, which are known not to have been built at the same time. The southern one is known as the Julia Sancta tower and is a work of the Hadrian era. It was constructed of plain stone blocks. While the base of the northern tower belongs to antiquity, the upper part is left over from the Seljuks.

Kesik Minare (Broken Minaret): Once a Byzantine Panaglia church, later converted into a mosque.

The Yivli Minare Mosque (Ulu camii). The mosque's fluted minaret, which is decorated with dark blue tiles, is a landmark and symbol of the city. The minaret was built in 1230 and is 38 metres high, built on a square stone base, with eight fluted sections and has 90 steps to the top.

The building was originally a Byzantine church and was converted into a mosque around 1225-7, during the reign of the Seljuk sultan Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I (1220-1237). The original mosque was destroyed in the 14th century and a new mosque was built which, with its six domes, is one of the oldest examples of multi-dome construction in Anatolia.

Today the building houses the Antalya Ethnographic Museum and contains clothing, kitchen utensils, embroidery, tapestries and looms, socks, sacks, kilims, ornaments, and nomadic tents. It was opened to the public in 1974.

Lara Beach Park : Lara is a district of Antalya city, Turkey. It is famous with its beach (Lara beach) that is one of the longest sand beaches of Turkey. It has thematic 5 to 7 star hotels in Kundu area which most of them are the replications of Moscow cathedrals, Topkapi palace, Venice, etc.. which makes the area sometimes called the Las Vegas in Turkey. Also there is a 2 km beach park facility that includes 11 beach club units, 4 restaurants, 4 cafes, many bars&clubs, 2 football fields, 1 amusement park, open exhibition halls, many kindergartens, beach volley fields, beach soccer fields, activity spaces, recreation areas, watersports, bycicly,skate,jogging facilities and a free car park.

Demre mineral springs

Karpuzkaldiran

Konyaalti Beach Park : The name Konyaalti which mean "below Konya" stems from the fact the city of Antalya was an administrative part of the city of Konya during the Ottoman Empire and the location of the beach is where the steep cliff of the city ends. It is situated beneath the old city of Antalya extending miles toward west with various kinds of beaches from sand to pebbles. The water is a little cooler compared to other beaches of Antalya because of an underground creek flowing to the sea. There are modern underground facilities for aesthetical reasons. Transportation is easy by means of a tramway, buses etc. It is reachable by foot as well.

Duden Falls

Kursunlu Falls

Köprülü Kanyon

Düzler pine forest

Saklikent Ski Center : Saklikent is a winter resort in Turkey, 45 kilometres from Antalya and 60 kilometres from Antalya Airport. It is open for skiing from November to May. Because of its proximity to Antalya, one can ski and then one hour later swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

Kalkan is a town on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, which averages of 300 days of sunshine a year. The area includes many historical sites and many fine beaches. The word Kalkan is Turkish for 'shield'.

Kalkan is an old fishing town, and the only safe harbor between Kas and Fethiye; famous for its white-washed houses, descending to the sea, and its brightly colored bougainvilleas.

Until the early 1920s the majority of its inhabitants were Greeks. They had to leave the town in 1923 because of the Exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey after the Greco-Turkish War. They emigrated mainly to Attica, where they founded a village bearing the same name - Kalamaki - as their town of origin.

With much of the surrounding land still undeveloped and with many nearby remains of ancient civilizations, Kalkan is the ideal resort for those who want calm and relaxation, enjoy the natural beauty of the cleanest seashores, of rough mountains covered with pine forests, and also for those who want to explore the remains of the ancient Lycian cities in the neighborhood.

Lycia, "The Land of Light", which is the first known federation in history, included the many city states between modern day Fethiye and Antalya, and its capital was Xanthos (Arna in Lycian language), which is Kinik today, 17 km from Kalkan.

Kalkan was an important harbor town until 1970's as the only sea port for the environs. It declined after construction of Fethiye road but revived after the emergence of the tourism industry in the region.

TünekTepe : Tünek Tepe is a hill at the west side of Antalya city with a height of 618 m. On top of it there is a restaurant and bar that rotates around itself.(The name of it has become Döner Gazino which means Rotating house in public).It is one of the greatest tourist attractions with its incredible view of the Antalya gulf and the mountains

Historic sites and Ruins around the City

See other districts of Antalya province site for the complete list of all ancient cities in the Region.

Aspendos: One of the most important Pamphilian cities. It is situated on the point where the Kopru River meets the sea. Once an important port and a commercal centre, it has a reputation for raising the best horses on earth. The odeon, basilica, galleria and fountains are worth seeing.

Termessos: It is a Pisidyan city with remnants of an agora, theatre and an odion. It has a reputation of being the most magnificent necropolis on the Mediterranean, 35 km northwest of Antalya.

Ariassos: At a distance of 48 Km. along the Antalya Burdur highway and before arriving at the village Dag, turn left and Ariassos is reached 1 Km. further on. A city of antiquity, Ariassos was built in a valley and could survey its surroundings. The gate, the baths, the rock tombs and the mausoleum are almost intact.

Olympos National Park: Olympos is an ancient Lycian city 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kemer.

Perge: 18 km northeast of Antalya. The ruins are spread on two hills, the theatre on one and the acropolis on the other. According to the legend the city was built by three heros from Troy.

Phaselis: A Lycian city 54 km southwest of Antalya.

Sillyon: 34 km from Antalya on the Alanya direction. It is situated between Aspendos and Perge and dates back to 4th.century BC.

Sagalassos: An ancient pisidian town 100 km north of Antalya.