"A N T A L Y A is Old City( ..." a Antalya Travel Page by marsistanbul

Legend has it that Attalos II,King of Pergamon,wishing to found a new city,ordered his men to seek out an"earthly paradise",and that after searching far and wide,they at decided that this "earthly paradise" could be found only on the site now occupied by the city of Antalya.An so it was here that Attalos founded his city.Named "Attaleia" after its founder,in Arabic sources it is referred to as "Antaliye" and in Turkish sources as "Adalya".
During the Byzantine period,which began in 395 A.D.Antalya became a very busy port,particularly as regards Mediterranean trade.However,from the 7th century onwards the city was exposed to Arab raids,and in 860 remained for a short time in the hands of Fazl bin Karin,the commander -in-chief of the Abbasid Caliph Mutevekkil,

Its strategic location and its importance as a port forming a commercial link between Anatolia and the other Mediterranean countries made Antalya an obvious military target for the Seljuk Sultans.In 1182,it with stood a siege by the Seljuk Sultan KILICARSLAN II,but the determination of the Seljuk Sultan Giyaseddin Keyhusrev I was lent additional urgency by the continual piracy carried out by the Latins who had by then settled in Cyprus,and the damage thus inflicted on the goods of merchants arriving in Antalya.Finally,on 5 march 1207,with the help of the local population,Sultan Keyhusrev captured the city after a two-months' siege.For three days the conquest chaos reigned in the city but " Mubaruziddin Ertokus,who had been appointed Subasi(prefect),gave orders that the people should return to their homes and that peace and security should be restored.The city is known to have been subsequently repaired,grain stored in the granaries,the arsenals filled with weapons and a hatip(preacher) appointed to the mosque".

On friday in 1212,the non-Muslim inhabitants of Antalya suddenly mutinied,attacking the Turks and killing many of the city administrators.The loss of Antalya caused a powerful reaction among the Seljuks,and Izzeddin Keykavus immediately set out and laid siege to city,which he recaptured on 22 january 1216.

Kaleici can be called the center of Antalya.It is one of the liveliest parts in the city with hotels,pensions,restaurants and entertainment facilities.The streets of Kaleici extend to the old harbor,which is used as an international yacht marina today