Antakya

Antakya, also known as Antioch, or more specifically Antioch-on-the-Orontes, is the capital of Hatay Province, which was annexed by Turkey after almost two decades of French rule in 1939.

Understand
After the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC, Seleucus I Nicator won the territory of Syria, and he proceeded to found four "sister cities" in northwestern Syria, one of which was Antioch, a city named in honor of his father Antiochus (very passionate about founding cities, he is reputed to have built in all nine Seleucias, sixteen Antiochs, and six Laodiceas). This particular Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East. The city was the capital of the Seleucid Empire until 63 BC, when the Roman Empire took control. Under the Romans it was the 4th largest city in the empire and the seat of the governor of the province of Syria Palæstina.

This city is famous since forever, and a point of pilgrimage, as an important centre of early Christianity, with some of the first non-hidden churches. Today it takes pride in being a truly multicultural place, where you can hear prayers in many different tongues. Many sects of Christianity (Greek Orthodoxy, Syriac Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism to name a few) and Islam (Sunni and Alawi), as well as Judaism, are all represented with their dedicated temples in Antakya.

Ethnically, Arabs constitute almost half of the population and most of the rest are Turks. Arabs in the city speak the Levantine (Shami) dialect of Arabic, which is also prevalent in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Antakya rests in the hammock-like valley of the Asi River, also known as the Orontes, with mountains rising rather steeply and pine-covered immediately to its southeast, and more distantly and barren in the northern outskirts. At summer nights, the river valley brings over a much-appreciated breeze from the not very far but invisible sea.

An administrative reform in 2014 divided the southern neighbourhoods and suburbs of the city into a separate Defne municipality, limiting Antakya municipality to the city centre and the north. However, for all intents and purposes they form a single city, which is covered in its entirety in this article.

By plane
The 'Havas' bus runs from the airport hourly to the city centre for 9 TL, and takes around 20–30 minutes. If you need to get back to the airport, the Havas leaves from the front of the 'Buyuk Antakya Hotel' (on the river, close to the central square; it is a huge resort style hotel, you can't miss it) every half hour most days, but check the Havas website for specific departure times. This is a lot cheaper than a taxi! You will have to flag the Havas bus down from the front of the hotel, as not many people use this service, so make your presence known as it drives past.

You can also use dolmuş taxis in order to get to the city center. Many dolmuş taxis wait just in front of the airport and as soon as any four customers are gathered, the taxi heads towards the city. The taxis charge approximately 10 TL per person. All in all, if you accept to share the taxi with other passengers, taking a cab is TL Havaş as the taxi drops you off in whichever part of the city you want to get out while Havaş only stops at specific points.

The nearest international airport is located in Adana, a couple of hundred kilometres to the north.

By train
The nearest station is in Iskenderun, which has several daily train connections with Adana and Mersin.

By bus
Locally based Has Turizm operates comfortable buses from all major cities in Turkey. From Istanbul, there are three services daily, leaving at evening and night, taking about 16h 30min (although there are many online reports of delays, particularly after the earthquakes) and costing 850 TL as of Jul 2023. (When booking online, their list of destinations doesn't include 'Antakya', select 'Hatay' instead.)

The (Antakya Otobüs Terminali or Yeni Otogar) is about 5 km northwest from the city center. It got extensively battered during the earthquakes, although not completely destroyed, and as of Jun 2023 all ticketing is done on the platforms just outside the building. Once you arrive look for minibuses to take you within walking distance of the center.

Before the Syrian Civil War, there used to be direct bus connections with Aleppo, Syria. It was also possible to take a taxi there, with the cost shared between passengers, as was to cross the border step by step in an extremely time-consuming trip by catching a bus to the Turkish border control, hitchhiking to the Syrian border (which is about 5 km away, and you are not allowed to walk) and then taking a taxi from there to Aleppo.

By car
From İskenderun, take D817 south and join D825 past Belen. (The entirety of this route is also marked as E91 in signage and maps.) This is a good divided highway, if somewhat winding while crossing the Belen Pass (the ancient Syrian Gates) through the Amanos Mountains. Another approach from that direction, particularly if you have time, is to follow the scenic coastal road down from Arsuz via Çevlik to Samandağ and then to take D420 east to Antakya.

From north of İskenderun (e.g., Adana), don't waste any time on slow and congested D817; take toll motorway O-53 instead.

From Gaziantep in the northeast, you can either head south on D850 to Kilis, then follow D410 along the Syrian border to join D825, or take one of D400 or O-52/E90 (toll motorway) west to Nurdağı to join D825 there. D825 runs across the dusty plains in the inland-facing side of the Amanos Mountains.

D825/E91 continues south to Yayladağı border post, to eventually reach Latakia (signposted Lazkiye), and D420 heads east to Cilvegözü border post near Reyhanlı on the road to Aleppo (Halep), but both approaches are unfeasible as of 2022 due to the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

Get around
The centre is walkable and all points of interest are close to each other. For the sights in the east, you will need transportation — they aren't very far from the centre and the route is flat, but the walk is dreary amidst industrial areas and lacking shade. For the sites further in the outlying areas, a car at your disposal is the best (and often the only) choice.

Parking space is hard to come by in the centre, and when you do, it's charged 9 TL (Oct 2022) an hour. The sites in the east all have adjacent car parks, free of charge.

Public bus line 401 is a frequent service along D420 to Samandağ, all the way to its seaside suburb Deniz.

Eastern suburbs
You can buy a pass covering all of the sites in this part of the city for 550 TL (Sep 2023; about €19). Otherwise, each requires a different ticket, prices of which are provided in the listings below.

North

 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.
 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.
 * Belen northwest is described at İskenderun.

Do

 * Football: Hatayspor play soccer in Süper Lig, the top tier. Their New Hatay Stadium was badly damaged by the earthquake so for the time being they play at Mersin Stadium.

Buy

 * Thanks to the groves of bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) in the surrounding countryside (see the myth of Daphne below), laurel soaps (defne sabunu, also garlı sabun locally) are unique to Antakya within Turkey, although the area they are traditionally manufactured extends beyond the border and these soaps are better known as "Aleppo soap" in English. They are made of local olive oil mixed with laurel berry oil, and are said to have benefits on skin and hair. The laurel berry oil, even in the saponified form, is known to result in an allergic reaction in some people, though, so it's worth skin-testing in a small area before investing in a large amount.

Eat
Thanks to the Middle Eastern influences, the local cuisine is among the most delicious in Turkey. Even a single plate of plain old tavuk pilav (chicken & rice), exactly what is implied by its name in the rest of the country, can develop into a feast here, with all the spices and sauces going into any dish.

There are many restaurants in the city centre, but most of them serve döner and other fast food. In order to seek local cuisine, try Anadolu Restaurant (in Saray Cd), Sultan Sofrası Restaurant (in Köprübaşı) or Sveyka Restaurant (in Kurtuluş Cd). As for döner restaurants, Restaurant Nuri and Restaurant Abdo (both in Saray Cd) are the most famous ones for et döner (beef döner) whereas Kebo, a tiny place located in Atatürk Cd, is the most famous place for tavuk döner (chicken döner).


 * , a pedestrianized historic street south of the bridge and a block east of the river in Old Antakya, is a strip of restaurants with tables lining the sidewalks. Exclamationdiamond_blue.svg Post-2023 earthquake status: completely destroyed.




 * , ancient Daphne, is a pretty area with waterfalls and dense forests about 10 km south of Antakya. In Greek mythology, this is where Daphe, fleeing a lustful Apollo, transformed to the first bay laurel tree of the world to become invisible to him. The area has many restaurants and locals frequently go there for long dinners.

One of the must eats in Antakya is a dessert called künefe — Hatay's take on the Middle Eastern knafeh. This is a shredded pastry with cheese melted inside; the contrast between sweet syrup and lightly salty cheese accounts for a great relish. There are many künefe houses scattered in the city, but they are especially concentrated in the main square of Old Antakya, Köprübaşı. Hatay Künefe and Kral Künefe, both in Köprübaşı, are among the most famous künefe houses in the city.

Connect
Telephone code of Antakya is 326.

Go next

 * With extensive transportation links to the Syrian city of Aleppo, Antakya was the jumping off point of most overland travellers into the Middle East before the conflict in Syria. From Istanbul to Cairo describes one of the popular routes.
 * Gaziantep to the northeast features a museum with another fascinating collection of mosaics.