Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Today Antakya is home to a mixture of faiths - Sunni, Alevi and Orthodox Christian -
and has a cosmopolitan and civilised air. Locals call their hometown Bariş Şehri (City of
Peace), and that's just what it is.
The Arab influence permeates local life, food and language; indeed, the city only be-
came part of Turkey in 1939 after centuries conjoined in some form or another to Syria.
Take time to stroll along the Orontes (Asi) River and through the bazaars and back lanes
of this underrated jewel of the Turkish Mediterranean.
Antioch figures in Christian history. Both Peter and Paul lived here for a few years, and
almost certainly preached in the Church of St Peter, which St Luke the Evangelist, who
was born in Antioch, had donated to the city's Christian congregation.
Sights
HATAY ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM
| Museum
(Hatay Arkeoloji Müzesi; Gündüz Caddesi 1; admission
"
8; 9am-6.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, 8.30am-noon
& 12.30-4.30pm Nov-Mar)
This museum contains one of the world's finest collections of Ro-
man and Byzantine mosaics, covering a period from the 1st century AD to the 5th century.
Many were recovered almost intact from Tarsus (St Paul's birthplace) or Harbiye, what
was Daphne in ancient times, 9km to the south.
The tiles forming the mosaics are so tiny that at first glance you may mistake them for
paintings. Be sure to see the full-body mosaic of
Oceanus & Thetis
(2nd century; Salon
4); the
Buffet Mosaic
(3rd century; Salon 2) with dishes of chicken, fish and eggs; the
standard scenes of hunting and fishing (eg
Thalassa & the Nude Fishermen
, with kids
riding whales and dolphins, in Salon 4); the stories from mythology, including the fab-
ulous 3rd-century mosaics of
Narcissus
(Salon 2) and
Orpheus
(Salon 4); and the quirky
subjects, including the happy hunchback with an oversized phallus, the black fisherman
and the mysterious portrayal of a raven, a scorpion, a dog and a pitchfork attacking an
'evil eye' (all in Salon 3).
Search WWH ::
Custom Search