Turkey Hatay City Sightseeing Tours

We will visit the famous Antakya Mosaic Museum 2 churches Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish synagogue – Mountain of St Peter, Ulucami (Great Mosque) and St. Pier Church.

Payas is a harbor town on the road connecting Anatolia to the Middle East. Because of its strategic importance, it has been home to numerous civilizations, and in AH 921 / AD 1516, in the wake of the Battle of Mercidabık, it became part of the Ottoman Empire. The importance of Payas increased even more given the development of trade between the Ottoman Empire and the countries of the Middle East, as well as its location on the pilgrimage route. In order to fortify this strategic point and address the needs of travelers, Sultan Selim II ordered the construction of a complex here.

Hatay, also called Antakya, is the southernmost city of Turkey and neighbors to the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, Gaziantep, and Adana. Hatay is a culturally diverse city and attracts more than half a million local and international tourists annually. Its history dates back to ancient civilizations with remarkable monuments all around. Hatay’s spectacular cuisine shines with its uniqueness, attracting all food lovers.

Hatay (Antioch), where the term "Christians" was first used to refer to those who follow Jesus Christ, is a historically significant city for Christianity. The city, known for its massive walls, played a crucial role in the Crusades during the Middle Ages. Visitors to the city can explore Saint Peter's Church, ancient mosques, as well as Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches, and Jewish synagogues. Let's explore this rich Christian legacy together!

The region only became part of modern Turkey in 1939, having been apportioned to the French Protectorate of Syria following the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. Following the brief-lived independent Hatay Republic of 1938, it was handed over to Turkey after a plebiscite. This move, calculated to buy Turkish support, or at least neutrality, in the imminent world war, was successful. It was Ataturk, in a move to “Turkify” the region, who dreamt up the name “Hatay”, supposedly based on that of a medieval Turkic tribe.

Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul, is now a most modern industrial and commercial city on Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coast just west of Adana.

Hatay, also called Antakya, is the southernmost city of Turkey and neighbors to the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, Gaziantep, and Adana. Hatay is a culturally diverse city and attracts more than half a million local and international tourists annually. Its history dates back to ancient civilizations with remarkable monuments all around. Hatay’s spectacular cuisine shines with its uniqueness, attracting all food lovers.

Antakya, also known as Antioch, or more specifically Antioch-on-the-Orontes, is the capital of Hatay Province, which was annexed by Turkey after almost two decades of French rule in 1939. Hatay, also called Antakya, is the southernmost city of Turkey and neighbors to the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, Gaziantep, and Adana. Hatay is a culturally diverse city and attracts more than half a million local and international tourists annually. Its history dates back to ancient civilizations with remarkable monuments all around. Hatay’s spectacular cuisine shines with its uniqueness, attracting all food lovers.

Hatay, also called Antakya, is the southernmost city of Turkey and neighbors to the Mediterranean Sea, Syria, Gaziantep and Adana. Hatay is a culturally diverse city and attracts more than half a million local and international tourists annually. Its history dates back to ancient civilizations with remarkable monuments all around. Hatay’s spectacular cuisine shines with its uniqueness, attracting all food lovers.

Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization. Its history is marked by many important inventions that changed the world, including the concept of time, math, the wheel, sailboats, maps, and writing. Mesopotamia is also defined by a changing succession of ruling bodies from different areas and cities that seized control over a period of thousands of years.