ABOUT ANTALYA
Area: 20.723 km2
Population: 1.719.751 (2000)
Antalya, meaning the fatherland of Attalus, was founded by Attalus II. The city was
independent until the Pergamon Kingdom (133 B.C.) and it was later seized by the pirates.
In 77 B.C. it was conquered by Commander Servilius Isauricus and became a territory of
Rome Empire. In 67 B.C. it was a base for the navy of Pompeius. In 130 A.D. the visit of
Hadrian to Attaleia helped the city develop. Attaleia, the centre of episcopacy during the
Byzantium sovereignty, developed significantly after seized by Turks. Since the modern city
was founded on the antique settlements, there are not many remnants of antique era in
Antalya.
The first of the visible remnants is a part of harbor jetty named as the old harbor
and the city walls surrounding the harbor. Hadrian Gate, which is being restored in the area
where the city walls extend out of the park, is one of the most
beautiful antique masterpieces of Antalya.
Kaleiçi, a big part of which was collapsed and ruined, is
surrounded by the city walls internally and externally in the
shape of a horseshoe. The city walls are the joint works of
Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman ages.
The city walls have 80 bastions. Within the city walls, there are
3000 houses with tile roofs. The characteristic features of the houses not only give an idea
about the architectural history of Antalya, but also reflect the life style, conventions and
traditions of the area.
In 1972, inner harbor of Antalya and Kaleiçi district, for their original structures, were
started to be protected as a “protected area” by “High Council of Immovable Monuments
and Antiquities”. Ministry of Tourism was awarded with the Golden Apple Tourism Oscar by
FIJET (World Federation of Journalists and Travel Writers) because of the restoration work
of “Antalya-Kaleiçi Complex”. Today, Kaleiçi has become a recreation centre with its hotels,
guest houses, restaurants and bars.
Geographical Location: There is Mersin and Karaman on the east; Konya, Isparta and
Burdur on the north; Muğla on the west; and the Mediterranean Sea on the south of
Antalya, which is located in Mediterranean Region.
Climate: In Antalya, where the Mediterranean climate is prevalent, the winters are clement
and rainy, summers are hot and dry.
Average temperature is around 15-25 °C at the time of
the congress. |
