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Antalya History

Ancient Roman Harbor in Antalya,
Turkey.
(click for photos).

The city of Antalya began as a settlement in the region of Asia Minor called Pamphilia, which consisted of a federation of Hellenistic cities including Perge, Aspendos, and Side. It was founded by King Attalus II, from Pergamon, and originally called "Attaleia" after him. The Antalya area was originally settled by peoples from many different cultures, especially after the fall of Troy in 1205 BC. King Attalus founded the city because of its natural harbor, since the only other one nearby, at Side, was under the control of the Roman Empire. Upon King Atallus' death, his son inherited the city, and then bequeathed it to Rome upon his death in 133 BC.

Antalya continued to be an important city during the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and was used as a staging point by crusaders as they passed through the area on the way to various campaigns. Antalya later fell under the control of the Seljuk Turks in 1206 when it was taken by Giyasettin Keyhrusev, then came under control of the Ottoman Turks during the reign of Yildirim Beyazit in the 14th century. After WWI, the Italians briefly took control of Antalya, until Turkey's war of independence returned it to Turkish control under the government of modern Turkey in 1923.

Today, Antalya is one of Turkey's most popular tourism destinations. It is also a thriving industrial city year-round, so it's not as "dead" in the winter months as compared to some of the other resort areas of Turkey. Antalya's main industries are tourism, the processing of cotton, sunflour and sesame seeds, fruits and vegatables (especially olives), as well as wheat and barley.

Turkey Central also has an Antalya Forum where you can meet others who share your interest in Antalya. Please feel free to visit an join our community!