All About Antalya

Originally called Attalia, Antalya's history goes back to 150 BC when it was founded by the king of Pergamon Attalos II. It has been visited by very famous missionaries and travelers like Paul the Apostle, and Ibn-e-Battuta among many others.
The city served as the main harbor for the surrounding areas in the reign of Seljuks and a perfect multi-cultural community of Muslims, Christians, and Jews. It is a beautiful coastal area with beautiful beaches, and mind-blowing ancient ruins attracting millions of tourists every year since the 1970s. Antalya is one of the major holiday resorts located in the Mediterranean region.

The city is built around the Roman-era harbor with the mountains around providing a perfect background to the hazy blue Sea. It is lined with shady palm trees and marina on the Mediterranean. The modern part of the city is built around the old Antalya city with Kaleici Square as its center. It has narrow winding streets with old Ottoman wooden houses that are well preserved and are mostly owned by foreigners.
In the past, Antalya and its golden beaches attracted German and Russian nationals and it was considered a popular destination. Because of this reason, the population of the city spikes to around 2.8 million specifically in summer times. 

The city was founded in 150 BC by Attalus, a king of Pergamon, and the city was named after him that is famously known as "Attaleai". Antalya was ruled by Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk, and Ottomans. There are many monuments and relics like Yivli Mosque, Olympus Temple, and many more. The city was recognized and promoted as the major tourist hub after the War of Independence. It has now become the main attraction in Turkey and around 40% of tourists enter Turkey through this city.