Antakya (Turkish pronunciation:[anˈtakja]),[a] Turkish form ofAntioch,[b] is a municipality and the capitaldistrict ofHatay Province,Turkey,[3] with an area of 703 km2 (271 sq mi)[4] and a population of around 400,000 people as of 2022.[1] It is in the Hatay Province, which is the southernmost region of Turkey. The city is located in a well-watered and fertile valley on theOrontes River, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from theLevantine Sea.
Today's city stands partly on the site of the ancientAntiochia (also known as "Antioch on the Orontes"), which was founded in the fourth century BC by theSeleucid Empire. Antioch later became one of theRoman Empire's largest cities and was made the capital of the provinces ofSyria andCoele-Syria. It was also an influential early center ofChristianity;[5] the New Testament asserts that the name "Christian" first emerged in Antioch.[6] The city gained much ecclesiastical importance during the times of theByzantine Empire. Captured byUmar ibn al-Khattab in the seventh century AD, the medieval Antakiyah was conquered or re-conquered several times: by the Byzantines in 969, theSeljuks in 1084,[7] theCrusaders in 1098,[8] theMamluks in 1268,[9] and eventually theOttomans in 1517,[8] who would integrate it to theAleppo Eyalet then to theAleppo Vilayet. The city joined theHatay State under theFrench Mandate before joining theTurkish Republic.
On 6 February 2023, the city was heavily damaged by twopowerful earthquakes with their epicenter inKahramanmaraş. Some of the historical sites, including theChurch of St Paul, were destroyed.[10] The earthquakes destroyed several neighborhoods in the city and left thousands homeless. The death toll in Hatay Province, which includes Antakya, was estimated at over 20,000.[11]
Acts 11:26: "So it was that for an entire year they met withe the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called 'Christians.'"
In 637, during the reign of the Byzantine emperorHeraclius, Antioch was conquered by theRashidun Caliphate during theBattle of the Iron Bridge. The city became known in Arabic asأنطاكية (ʾAnṭākiya). Since theUmayyad Caliphate was unable to penetrate theAnatolian plateau, Antioch found itself on the frontline of the conflicts between two hostile empires during the next 350 years, so that the city went into a precipitous decline. After the demise of Umayyad rule, Antioch became part of theAbbasid empire (except for a brief rule of theTulunids[14]),Ikhshidids andHamdanids.
The Crusaders'Siege of Antioch between October 1097 and June 1098 during theFirst Crusade resulted in its fall. The Crusaders caused significant damage, including a massacre of its population, both Christian and Muslim.[16] Following the defeat of Seljuk forces arriving to break the siege only four days after its capture by the crusaders,Bohemond I became its overlord.[16] It remained the capital of the LatinPrincipality of Antioch for nearly two centuries.
In 1268, it fell to theMamluk sultanBaybars afteranother siege. Baybars proceeded to massacre the Christian population.[17] The massacre of men, women, and children at Antioch "was the single greatest massacre of the entire crusading era."[18] Priests had their throats slit inside their churches, and women were sold into slavery.[19]
In addition to suffering the ravages of war, the city lost its commercial importance because trade routes toEast Asia moved north following theMongol invasions of the Levant.
Antioch never recovered as a major city, and much of its former role fell to the port ofAlexandretta. The diary of the English naval chaplainHenry Teonge records an account of both cities in 1675.
In 1822 (andagain in 1872), Antakya was hit byan earthquake and damaged. When Egyptian generalIbrahim Pasha established his headquarters in the city in 1835, it had only some 5,000 inhabitants. Supporters hoped the city might develop thanks to theEuphrates Valley Railway, which was supposed to link it to the port of is-Swēda (Levantine Arabic:السويدية, nowSamandağ), but this plan never came to fruition. This scheme is the subject ofLetitia Elizabeth Landon's poemAntioch. (1836) in which she reflects of the superiority of trade and commerce over war and conflict. The city suffered repeated outbreaks ofcholera due to inadequate infrastructure for sanitation.[15] Later the city developed and rapidly resumed much of its old importance when a railway was built along the lowerOrontes valley.
A British traveller visiting Antakya in 1798 reported that generally, Turkish was spoken, while, by contrast, the prevalent language inAleppo at the time was Arabic.[24] MostAlawites andArmenians spoke Turkish as a second language.[25]
The marketplace in central AntakyaCourtyard of the Church of Apostles Peter and Paul in AntakyaThe Museum Hotel Antakya opened in 2020. A 9,000 square-foot Roman mosaic is displayed inside the hotel.
Mount Habib-i Neccar and the city walls which climb the hillsides symbolise Antakya, making the city a formidable fortress built on a series of hills running north-east to south-west. Antakya was originally centred on the east bank of the river. Since the 19th century, the city has expanded with new neighbourhoods built on the plains across the river to the south-west, and four bridges connect the old and new cities. Many of the buildings of the last two decades are styled as concrete blocks, and Antakya has lost much of its classic beauty.[citation needed] The narrow streets of the old city can become clogged with traffic.
Antakya is a provincial capital of considerable importance as the centre of a large district. The draining ofLake Amik and development of land have caused the region's economy to grow in wealth and productivity. The town is a lively shopping and business centre with many restaurants, cinemas and other amenities. This district is centred on a large park opposite the governor's building and the central avenueKurtuluş Caddesı. The tea gardens, cafes and restaurants in the neighbourhood ofHarbiye are popular destinations, particularly for the variety ofmeze in the restaurants. TheOrontes River can be malodorous when water is low in summer. Rather than formal nightlife, in the summer heat, people will stay outside until late at the night to walk with their families and friends, and munch on snacks.
Its location near the Syrian border makes Antakya more cosmopolitan than many cities in Turkey. It did not attract the mass immigration of people from eastern Anatolia in the 1980s and 1990s that radically swelled the populations of Mediterranean cities such asAdana andMersin. BothTurkish andArabic are still widely spoken in Antakya, although written Arabic is rarely used. A mixed community of faiths and denominations co-exist peacefully here. While almost all the inhabitants areSunni Muslim, a substantial proportion adhere to theAlevi andAlawite traditions ofIslam, in "Harbiye" there is a place to honour the saintHızır. Numerous tombs of saints, of bothSunni andAlawite, are located throughout the city. Several smallChristian communities are active in the city, with the largest church being St. Peter and St. Paul on Hürriyet Avenue.[28] With its long history of spiritual and religious movements, Antakya is a place of pilgrimage for Christians. The Jewish community of Antakya had shrunk to 14 members in 2014.[29][30] In 2023, the last Jew in the city announced that he was leaving the city after adevastating earthquake.[31]
It has a reputation in Turkey as a place for spells, fortune telling, miracles and spirits.[citation needed]Local crafts include a soap scented with the oil ofbay tree.
Satellite image of Antakya before and after the earthquake
On 6 February 2023, Antakya suffered heavy damage as a result of amajor earthquake.[32] Many parts of the city were totally destroyed.[33] As of 7 February, the BBC reported that at least 1,200 buildings in the city center and the districts of Kırıkhan and İskenderun were razed. Officials said "almost all" houses in the Cebrail District had collapsed.[34] Many historical sites, including churches and mosques, were destroyed,[35]St. Paul's Church being one of them.[36] The historicAntakya Synagogue andHatay State Assembly Building were also destroyed.[37][38]
In the aftermath, Turkish presidentRecep Tayyip Erdoğan pledged an immediate reconstruction of the affected areas if elected for second term. During a visit to the city in September 2023,The New York Times reported that heavily damaged buildings were still being demolished and no large-scale reconstruction works were observed. Many damaged buildings remained standing but abandoned while survivors continue to live in tents. Hatay's mayor,Lütfü Savaş, said only half of the estimated 38,000 buildings registered to be dismantled had been fulfilled. In Gülderen, there were ongoing works to build 2,300 apartment units in 122 blocks.[33]
Antakya is located on the banks of theOrontes River (Turkish:Asi Nehri), approximately 22 km (14 mi) inland from theMediterranean coast. The city is in a valley surrounded by mountains, theNur Mountains (ancient Amanos) to the northwest and Mount Keldağ (Jebel Akra) to the south, with the 440 m high Mount Habib-i Neccar (the ancientMount Silpius) forming its eastern limits. The mountains are a source of a greenmarble. Antakya is at the northern edge of theDead Sea Rift and vulnerable to earthquakes.
The plain ofAmik to the north-east of the city is fertile soil watered by the Orontes, theKarasu and theAfrin rivers; the lake in the plain was drained in 1980 by a French company. At the same time channels were built to widen the Orontes and let it pass neatly through the city centre. The Orontes is joined in Antakya by the Hacı Kürüş stream to the north-east of the city near the church of St Peter, and the Hamşen which runs down from Habib-i Neccar to the south-west, under Memekli Bridge near the army barracks. Flora includes thebay trees andmyrtle.
Antakya's climate is classified ashot-summer Mediterranean (Köppen:Csa) or dry-summerhumid subtropical (Trewartha:Cf orwet Cs). The city experiences hot, dry summers, and mild, wet winters; though its higher altitude allows for lower temperatures than the coast.
Highest recorded temperature:45.2 °C (113.4 °F) on 13 August 2023 Lowest recorded temperature:−11.8 °C (10.8 °F) on 14 January 1950
Climate data for Antakya (1991–2020, extremes 1940–2023)
Mustafa Kemal University, abbreviated as MKU, has several faculties including Engineering and Medicine, while having a campus called Tayfur Sökmen located in Serinyol district 15 km (9.3 mi), north of Antakya (centrum). Established in 1992, currently more than 32,000 students enrolled at the university.[42]
Besides the campus in Serinyol, MKU has its faculties spread out in all main districts of the province including Altınözü, Antakya, Belen, Dörtyol, Erzin, Hassa, İskenderun, Kırıkhan, Reyhanlı, Samandağ and Yayladağı.
The long and varied history has created many architectural sites of interest. There is much for visitors to see in Antakya, although many buildings have been lost in the rapid growth and redevelopment of the city in recent decades:
The rock-carvedChurch of St Peter, with its network of refuges and tunnels carved out of the rock, a site of Christian pilgrimage. There are also tombs cut into the rock face at various places along the Orontes valley;
Old market district: It offers plenty of traditional shops, where you can explore what you have not seen before. It is exactly in the city centre, you are in when you see the signUzun Çarşı Caddesi;
The seedyGündüz cinema in the city centre was once used as parliament building of theRepublic of Hatay;
Beşikli Cave and Graves (the antique city of Seleukeia Pierria);
St. Simon Monastery;
Bagras (Bakras) Castle, which was built in antiquity and restored many times in later centuries (particularly during theCrusades, when it was a stronghold of theKnights Templar), served as a watchtower on the 27 km (17 mi) mountain road fromİskenderun (Alexandretta) to Antakya (Antioch);
The panoramic view of the city from the heights of Mount Habib-i Neccar;
St. Paul Orthodox Church.
With its rich architectural heritage, Antakya is a member of theNorwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions.[43] The Roman bridge (thought to date from the era ofDiocletian) was destroyed in 1972 during the widening and channelling of theOrontes.[citation needed]
A panoramic view of Antakya from the Church of Saint Peter
The cuisine of Antakya is renowned. Its cuisine is consideredLevantine rather thanTurkish. The cuisine offers plenty of meals, where beef and lamb are mainly used. Popular dishes include the typical Turkishkebab, served with spices and onions in flat unleavened bread, with yoghurt asali nazik kebab, oruk, kaytaz böreği and katıklı ekmek. Hot, spicy food is a feature of this part of Turkey, along withTurkish coffee and local specialties.
Here are some savoury foods:
İçli köfte and otheroruk varieties: varieties of the Arabickibbeh, deep-fried balls ofbulgur wheat stuffed with minced meat; or baked in ovens in cylinder-cone shape. Saç oruğu is made of the same ingredients, however in circular shape;
Kaytaz böreği: It is patty that is made of wheat, beef, tomato and onion;
Katıklı ekmek: Ingredients in Katıklı Ekmek usually consist of wheat, traditional pepper (paste), spices such as sesame and theme, çökelek or cheese. It looks like an ancestor of pizza. Not a lot of restaurants serve it, however it can be found in old-market that is located in the centre and Harbiye;
Semirsek, a thin bread with hotpepper, minced meat or spinach filling;
Spicy chicken, a specialty of Harbiye;
Za'atar (Zahter) a traditionalLevantine Arabic paste of spiced thyme, oregano, and sesame seeds, mixed with olive oil, spread on flat (calledpide or in English pita) bread;
Patlıcan salatası: Patlıcan salatası or babaganoush, made of baked and sliced aubergines that mixed with pepper and tomato. It is usually served with pomegranate syrup;
Taratur: Known also as Tarator, made of walnuts, "tahin", yoghurt and garlic;
Süzme yoğurt: A type of yoghurt that its water content is removed with traditional methods;
Eels from the Orontes, spiced and fried inolive oil.
Sweets/desserts
Künefe - a hot cheese,kadaif-based sweet. Antakya is Turkey'skünefe capital; the pastry shops in the centre compete to claim being kingsTurkish:kral of the pastry;[citation needed]
Müşebbek - rings of deep fried pastry;
Peynirli irmik helvası - Peynirli İrmik Helvası is a dessert that is made of semolina, sugar and traditional cheese that is the same as used in künefe. It is served warm, especially in restaurants in the region Harbiye, rather than künefe shops that are located in the centre.
^"The mixture of Roman, Greek, and Jewish elements admirably adapted Antioch for the great part it played in the early history of Christianity. The city was the cradle of the church." — "Antioch",Encyclopaedia Biblica, Vol. I, p. 186 (p. 125 of 612 inonline .pdf fileWarning: Takes several minutes to download).
^1. De Giorgi AU. Antioch on the Orontes: An Introduction. In: De Giorgi AU, ed.Antioch on the Orontes: History, Society, Ecology, and Visual Culture. Cambridge University Press; 2024:1-6.
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