In the first part of our Brief Antalya Guide series, welisted some of the most popular Antalya Beaches for those who will be visitingthis wonderful city for the first time. In this post, we will be talking abouta number of ancient sites in Antalya that will surely interest those who’d liketo explore the history behind the city.Here are a few historical sites that you should visit whenyou come to Antalya:
Hadrian Gate
The monumental gate that leads to Kaleiçi, Hadrian’s Gate(also called Triple Gate in some sources) was built in 130 AD to commemoratethe visit of Emperor Hadrian to the city. It is located right by the AtatürkBoulevard, in the city center, so make sure you pay a visit to this importantpiece of history once you are here!
Phaselis Ancient City
Phaselis Ancient City is located in Kemer town, and it wasestablished by the people of Rhodes around 7th century BC. It is an ancientport city, and is known for is amphitheater, ruins, agora and baths.
St.Nicholas Church
An ancient Byzantine Greek Church located in Demre, St.Nicholas’ history goes all the way back to 6th century. It is famous for beingthe burial ground of St. Nicholas of Myra, who is known to be the historicalinspiration for Santa Claus.
Aspendos Theater
Aspendos is mainly known for its Roman ruins, and AspendosTheater. Visited by thousands of people every year, it is home to some of themost beautiful Roman ruins in Turkey. If you like ancient history, youshouldn’t miss this one out!
Ancient City of Olympos
Like Phaselis, Olympos Ancient City is also located withinthe borders of Kemer region. Like its neighbour Phaselis, Olympos was also atrading city. Here you can see the important Roman and Byzantine works. City’swalls and towers date back to Middle Ages. If you visit this ancient city, makesure to check out the theater, temple gate, and Necropolis Church.
Ancient City of Perge
Located 19 km east of Antalya, Perge used to be one of theimportant cities of ancient Pamphylia. The ancient city sits on a very largearea, so a proper visit might take up to 3 hours! If you go, make sure you seethe theater and the stadium.
Alanya Castle
A landmark of Alanya, this famous castle hosted Hellenistic,Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman civilizations. If you go to Alanya region during yourAntalya visit – and you should!- you may want to pay a visit to this piece ofhistory as well.
Temple of Apollo
Temple of Apollo is the most popular historical building ofSide, and for a good reason. Dedicated to the Greek god of light and sun, thetemple is located just near the sea side, and a magnificent view -especiallyduring sunset- awaits the visitors. If you wish to pay a visit to the temple,don’t forget to bring your cameras!
