There is so much to see and do in Antalya hence being named 'the paradise on Earth', 'the pearl of the Mediterranean' and the infamous name coined by the tourisn industry, 'the Turkish Riviera'. Within this city you will find the most magnificent and best preserved ancient theatre in both Asia and Africa called Aspendos, numerous waterfalls, caves and endless beaches and coves to explore and not forgetting the museums that home ancient statues. This city where I live is a wonderful example of ancient and modern living side by side. There is so much however worthy of writing about that I will do this Antalya Uncovered blog as a series covering the areas that I visit, as I get to visit them.
A Brief History of Antalya
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| Kesik Minare |
Attalus II, King of Pergemon and one of Alexander the Great's Generals, founded this beautiful city in the 2nd Century BC and so named it after himself, 'Atteleai'. His creation drew people to live their lives all those years ago in what we know call Antalya and to this day, it is a thriving city buzzing with life. Antalya is in the area that historians call ancient Pamphylia and is an intersting mix of ancient and modern living side by side. The Romans were the citiy's first settlers followed by the Byzantines and later the Ottomans. Even Cleopatra and Hadrian visited Antalya during their lives.
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| Through the fencing you can see the chapel's interior |
The eclectic mix of history has left it's architectural mark on the Old city (Kaleici), with one of the most intriguing examples being the 'Broken Minaret' or 'Kesik Minare' in the
Işıklar area whose fate it was to spend 1600 years of its life being converted between being a mosque and a church. It was originally built in the 2nd Century AD as a Roman Temple but was later converted to a Byzantine Church in honour of the Virgin Mary in 600AD. It apparently suffered horrendous damage during the Arab invasions in the 700s and wasn't repaired until 200 years later when it was converted to a mosque and the minaret we still see today, was added. In 1361 it became a church once again only to be reconverted for a last time into a mosque before finally being destroyed by a fire in 1846. Now that's a history...!!
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| From the street you can see these ruins (minaret in the background) |
Today it is sealed off with wire fencing but you can still see the ruins and what remains of the main building. It is the surviving minaret standing tall and proud that gives this little piece of history it's name of 'Kesik Minare', 'The Broken Minaret'.
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