Narrow cobbled lanes wind downhill between old houses with jutting upper floors, past cafés and little hotels, until the walls open onto the harbour below, packed with boats against the blue sea.

Inner Castle

Kaleiçi, 'Inner Castle', is the historic centre of Antalya, enclosed by ancient walls and overlooking the old harbour. It was part of ancient Attaleia, founded in the 2nd century BCE by Attalus II of Pergamon. Rome took it in 77 BCE, and Emperor Hadrian visited in 130 CE. Its double ring of walls forms a horseshoe, shaped by Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman builders. Inside are about 3,000 traditional houses with red-tiled roofs, and narrow alleys running uphill from the harbour.

Landmarks

Hadrian's Gate, Üçkapılar, is a Roman gateway into the old city. The Yivli Minaret, 38 metres of fluted red brick with traces of turquoise and dark blue tiles, is the symbol of Antalya; its mosque was first built around 1230 after the Seljuk conquest of 1216 and rebuilt in 1373, and a glass floor now shows old water channels beneath it. Other landmarks include the Hıdırlık Tower, the Kesik Minare, the İskele Mosque and the Tekeli Mehmet Paşa Mosque. The old harbour is now a yacht marina.

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  Hadrian's Gate Roman entrance to the old city.
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  Yivli Minaret Antalya's symbol.
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  Old harbour Now a marina.
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  Hıdırlık Tower On the edge of the old town.
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  Kesik Minare The 'broken minaret'.