Antakya (Antioch), Turkey

Antakya, Turkey


Antakya, also known as Antioch since ancient times, is a city in Hatay Province in southern Turkey. It is located along the Orontes River, about 22 km (14 mi) from the Mediterranean coast. The city is also near the border with Syria, and is about three hours away from Aleppo, the biggest city in Syria.

Antakya is in the Eastern Europe Time zone, which is two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+2) and three hours ahead during Daylight Saving Time in summer. The phone area code is (0)326.

Alleyway in Antakya, Turkey


Antakya is in a valley surrounded by high mountains, among them Mount Keldağ to the south and Mount Habib Neccar to the east. A number of rivers flow through the city, creating a well-drain, fertile plain that has sustained life for centuries. Antakya experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Warmest month in Antakya is August, when the average high temperature reaches 30.6°C (87°F). Coldest month is January, when the average lows dip to 10.6°C (51°F).

The area around Antakya has seen human habitation going back to the 6th millennium BC. The city, originally known as Antioch, was founded in 300 BC, by King Seleucus I Nicator. Antioch grew into one of the biggest cities in the Roman Empire and later the Byzantine Empire. It featured in the Holy Bible as the place where followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first time.

Antioch was conquered by the Crusaders during the First Crusade (1096-1099), which resulted in the establishment of the Principality of Antioch, a crusader state that existed from 1098 to 1268, when it fell to the Egyptian Mamluk Sultan Baibars. As with other cities in the area, it was controlled by Muslims, with periods when it was repeatedly attacked by the Mongols.

St Peter's Cave in Antoich (Antakya)


Antakya was controlled by the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century until the empire collapse following World War I. It was part of the Republic of Hatay. By then it was eclipsed by its former port city Alexandretta, now known as Iskenderun, which became one of the largest Turkish ports on the Mediterranean. Antakya however remains the seat of Hatay Province.

Visiting Antakya

You can fly from Istanbul to Antakya, landing at Hatay Airport (HTY), which is 25 km from the city. From the airport you can take the bus to downtown Antakya. It takes about half an hour to reach the city.

Villa in Antakya, Turkey

Places of Interest in Antioch, Turkey

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Songs about Penang

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.