Antalya Turkish Coffee Harbours and History, Antalya, Turkey

Antalya is located on the Turquoise Coast of Turkey in the Southern Mediterranean. It is one of the most beautiful provinces in the whole of Turkey. Antalya is surrounded by West Taurus and Taurus Mountains that form an arc around the Gulf of Antalya.

The harbour was the main reason that Antalya was established as a city 2 millennia ago. Today it is still a thriving port, replacing old galleons with expensive yachts and tour boats. Restaurants and cafes line the waterfront.

Antalya was founded in 200 BC by the King of Pergamon Attalus II. Following the fall of his kingdom during 133 BC the city fell into the hands of pirates. In 77 BC it became part of the Roman Empire.

Standing in the old streets of Kaleci all that remains are some of the walls and the Minaret. It was constructed in 2nd Century AD as a roman temple and in the 7th Century it was converted into a Byzantine Church. During the Arab Invasion of Antalya in the 8th Century AD the building suffered a lot of damage. It was not until the 10th Century AD that it was repaired and later in the 13th century AD the Minaret was added when the Sultanate of Rum converted it into a Mosque. In 1361 it returned back to a church when the King of Cyprus conquered Antalya, then during the rule of Sehzade Korkut it was converted back into a Mosque but destroyed by fire in 1846. Kesik Minare means ‘broken minaret’. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).