The Castle of Antioch

offers a panoramic view of the city. At Harbiye, 8 km beyond Antioch, you can delve into history and mythology as you visit the ancient city where Apollo fell in love with Daphne, and Mother Earth, in order to save Daphne, turned her into an elegant tree.

The story weaves on further to say that the waterfalls of Harbiye were formed from the tears of Daphne. Take a swim at Samandag to cool off from the hot and humid Antakya weather, or walk in the footsteps of St Paul and St Barnabas at the ancient city of Seleuica Pieria, 6 km south of Samandag. This city was a busy port at the time when St. Paul and St. Barnabas made their first missionary journey from here. The most interesting monument here is the Tunnel of Titus, which is a huge canal, dug for the purpose of diverting waters of Orontes River.

Another highlight here is the rock tombs with their impressive facades relating to the Hellenistic period. Take a drive to the Kapisuyu village and from the Zeus Temple, you get a breathtaking view of the harbor, golden beach and lush, fertile plain lying below. Hatay is a treasure trove of archaeological history. The ancient city of Tel Aççana is located on the Antakya – Reyhanli highway. At the excavations of Kinet Tumulus, remnants of various periods are still being discovered. Rock and earthen burial grounds were discovered in Kuzuculu and Karakese belonging to the 2nd - 3rd A.D and 4th - 5th centuries A.D, respectively. From the executed excavations, tombs, glass bottles and pots, cooked earthen pots, oil lamps and signets have been unearthed.
Ceylanli was a settlement place in the Byzantine and Gündüzogu Domain periods and there are ruins of the same scattered in the region. The nearby rocks contain rock tombs with inscriptions on them. There was a settlement place in the vicinity of Reyhanli, on the Antakya - Cilvegözü road which was known as "Imma", place of settlement, during ancient times.

This location is famous for its promenade areas and tea gardens in the present day. The ruins of a Hittite palace and temple were discovered at the excavations in Tainat, the findings of which are exhibited in Hatay Archeology Museum. Hatay holds an important place in the history of Christianity and it has developed as an important center for faith tourism. The first Catholic Church of the world, Saint Pierre Church is located inside the borders of Hatay province and draws millions of revered Christians to its portals. The most renowned monasteries of the region are St. Simon Stylite Monastery, Yayladagi Barleam Monastery and Keldagi Barleam Monastery.

The Antakya Archaeological Museum was built in the 1930s under the supervision of the French archaeologist, M. Prost. It may not look like much from the outside, but inside the Museum of Archaeology houses a magnificent set of Byzantine mosaics, sculptures and great treasures like the Antakya Sarcophagus. There are also many exhibits from the Hittite period.
This museum has the second largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world. I have seen collections of mosaics all around the Mediterranean, but the mosaics here are some of the finest and most interesting I have seen anywhere.