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Antakya, ancient Antioch on the
Orontes, was founded in the
fourth century BCE by Seleucos
Nicator. By the second century
BCE, it was one of the largest
cities in the ancient world,
with a population of over half a
million. This was undoubtedly
one of the reasons why Saint
Peter the apostle came here with
Saint Paul and Saint Barnabus to
found one of the first Christian
communities. The word Christian
was coined in this city, and the
cave church where Saint Peter
preached his first sermon is
still here, with a facade added
in the thirteenth century by the
crusaders.
Antakya's Archaeological Museum
holds the world's best
collection of Roman mosaics.
They are just incredible, with
subjects from abstract designs
similar to those on today's
Turkish carpets to scenes from
everyday life and Roman
mythology, including the Rape of
Ganymede, the Marriage of Tethys
and Oceanus, and a rather
fearsome rendition of the evil
eye.
At Harbiye there is a beautiful
grove with mesmerizing
waterfalls. This is ancient
Daphne, where Anthony and
Cleopatra were married and the
home of the Antioch Games, which
became more famous and important
than those at Olympus. One thing
you won't see is the magnificent
temple of Apollo, which was
dismantled by Christians who
used the stones to build their
churches.
The mountain-top monastery where
Saint Simeon stood on his pillar
has spectacular views of the sea
coast, and down on the sea
front, once the ancient port of
Seleucia ad Pieria, is the
famous Tunnel of Vespasian, a
feat of engineering that
prevented the harbor silting up.
There's also a unique Roman cave
graveyard carved out of the rock
near the tunnel. |
