Turkey Hatay Tours

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.

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!

Turkish Bath is quite a popular part of Turkish culture and it is being practiced all around the country therefore it will be nice to experience this activity.

Hatay cuisine is like a cuisine symphony with unique musical notes and rhythm that is different from any other cuisines in many aspects. If you are inclined to listen, you may catch the special cultural tasty melodies at each and every table from breakfast to dinner and from night-kanafeh to the flavors that reflect the rituals of different religions’ specific days. Mediterranean cuisine culture’s vegetable and olive oil effect are highly strong on Hatay cuisine. In fact, even “olive crumbs”, obtained during olive oil production, are added into a leavened dough and turned into delicious “Olive Crumb Bread” ready to be served at the table. When you taste this bread, you may find yourself visiting an olive museum that is thousands of years old in Tokaşlı village and hearing the olive tree that Homer talks about: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody. I was here before you came. I will still be here after you leave.”

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.

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.

Olives are an essential element of Turkish Cuisine. Whether as the star of the breakfast table or the base of olive oil, olives are always appreciated. Türkiye has grown to become one of the top 5 producers of olives and olive oils in the world. This can be attributed in part to the Mediterranean climate and because central Anatolia is rumored to be the birthplace of the humble olive tree. With deep historical, cultural, and manufacturing roots, it makes sense that Turkish cuisine is often built around the humble olive.

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.

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.