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City in Turkey
Antalya is one of the largest cities in Turkey and the capital of Antalya Province, the fifth-most populous province. Recognized as the "capital of tourism" in Turkey and a pivotal part of the Turkish Riviera, Antalya sits on Anatolia's southwest coast, flanked by the Taurus Mountains. The urban population of the city is around 1.5 million, with a provincial population of 2,722,103.
The city was founded as "Attaleia" (Ancient Greek: Ἀττάλεια), named after its founder Attalos II, king of Pergamon. This name, still in use in Greek, was later evolved in Turkish as Adalia and then Antalya. Attaleia was also the name of a festival at Delphi and Attalis (Greek: Ἀτταλίς) was the name of an old Greek tribe at Athens. Despite the close similarity, there is no connection with the name Anatolia.
King Attalus II of Pergamon is looked on as founder of the city in about 150 BC, during the Hellenistic period. It was named Attaleia or Attalia (Ancient Greek: Ἀττάλεια) in his honour. The city served as a naval base for Attalus's powerful fleet. Excavations in 2008, in the Doğu Garajı plot, uncovered remains dating to the 3rd century BC, suggesting that Attaleia was a rebuilding and expansion of an earlier town. Attaleia became part of the Roman Empire in 133 BC when Attalus III, a nephew of Attalus II, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome at his death in 133 BC. The city grew and prospered during the Ancient Roman period and was part of the Roman province of Pamphylia Secunda, whose capital was Perga. …
Antalya has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) or a dry-summer humid subtropical climate (Trewartha: Cf or 'wet Cs'). It experiences hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. While rain is common and often heavy in winter, Antalya is very sunny, with nearly 3,000 hours of sunlight per year. Frost does occasionally occur at night almost every winter, but snow is a very rare phenomenon. The highest recorded air temperature was 45.4 °C (113.7 °F) on 1 July 2017 but later this record was removed and turned back to 45°C (113°F) in 6 July 2000. Record low is −4.6 °C (23.7°F) in 5 February 1950. Record snow depth is 5 cm (1.97 inches) in January 1993. The mean sea temperature ranges between 16 °C (61 °F) in winter and 27 °C (81 °F) in summer.
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Antalya's signature cuisine includes Piyaz (made with tahini, garlic, walnuts, and boiled beans), şiş köfte (spicy meatball which is cooked around a stick), spicy hibeş with mixed cumin and tahini, tandır kebap, domates civesi, şakşuka, and various cold Mediterranean dishes with olive oil. Local specialties also include Bağaça (a traditional spiced tahini pastry), Yanıksı Dondurma (a distinctive burnt-milk ice cream), and tirmis (boiled seeds of the lupin, eaten as a snack). "Grida" (also known as Lagos or Mediterranean white grouper) is a fish common in local dishes. Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival: national film festival usually held in September / October. Kaleiçi Old Town Festival, organized by Muratpaşa municipality, held in October. …
Agricultural production includes citrus fruits, cotton, cut flowers, olives, olive oil and bananas. Antalya Metropolitan Municipality's covered wholesale food market complex meets 65% of the fresh fruit and vegetable demand of the province. Since 2000, shipyards have been opened in Antalya Free Zone, specialized in building pleasure yachts. Some of these yards have advanced in composites boat building technology. Corendon Airlines, Mavi Gök Airlines, Southwind Airlines and SunExpress are headquartered in Antalya. Antalya is one of the Mediterranean's leading tourism destinations, the city being home to an array of famous attractions. In 2012, it was reported it attracted 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. In 2022, Antalya received 13.4 million foreign tourists by air.
The main transportation to the city is by air and land. Sea routes are still under development. In 2007, the airport added a new terminal. The city has a main port at the south of the Konyaaltı. Road transport in the city is estimated by Climate Trace to have emitted over a million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2023. There is a network of look-alike Dolmuşes that are privately owned and operated minibuses, under municipal government control. Antalya Ulaşım, a municipally owned corporation, runs the public bus system. The corporation owns Antobus and Antray. Antobus was started in September 2010. In 2010, the city planned to increase from 40 to 140 more buses. Payment for public transportation was made in cash until the launch of a public transportation card, Antkart, in late 2007. The card system met with criticism and was subsequently canceled in June 2009, returning to a cash system. …