Holiday paradise Antalya offering much more than you expect

Antalya was founded in 158-138 BC by Attalus II, King of Pergamon, who named the city Attaleia after himself. Having been inhabited continuously since then, it was encircled by strong protective walls in Roman times. The Byzantines and Seljuks successively occupied the city before it came under Ottoman rule. Today it is one of the world's best-loved tourist resorts, with numerous five-star hotels, holiday villages and entertainment establishments. There are great works of art from different civilizations at every corner of the city. In the picturesque old quarter of Kaleiçi, narrow, winding streets and old wooden houses abut the ancient city walls. The elegant, fluted minaret of the Yivli Minaret Mosque at the centre of the city, built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat in the 13th century, has become Antalya's symbol. Visitors can also find a number of touristic hotspots along the coastline away from the city centre. At the foot of 2575m-high Mt Tahtalı (Olympos), 15km south of Kemer, the three harbours of Phaselis were once major commercial centres. The ancient city of Olympos is situated on the southern side of Mt Tahtalı. The Karain Cave, which dates from the Palaeolithic Age, is the oldest known cave where human lived in Anatolia. The ancient Lycian capital of Xanthos, today in the village of Kınık, and the Lycian cultic centre of Letoon are included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Kurşunlu Waterfall and Nilüfer Lake, both 18km from Antalya, are two other places of superb natural beauty.