Memnun Oldum, Antakya

Some places in the world make you want to gush and at the same time bite your tongue, as if there were an unspoken rule to enjoy them but keep quiet.

The ancient city of Antioch is like this. Given its 8,000 year history, the idea that you could keep quiet about this place is a bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, you feel like you’ve been let in on a secret, like you’ve been lent the key to the city’s gate from those who know and love it.

It’s not a secret of course, just a surprisingly lovely town set on a river in a valley surrounded by mountains.

First of all, if you come into Antakya by road from the northwest, you pass through gorgeous countryside. Some kilometers beyond the rich fields of Çukurova around Adana there is land even more lush and green. It looks like a place where dairy cows could be raised, but for the palm trees.

This bucolic oasis gives way to dystopian oil refineries as you near the Mediterranean coast. It is so garish it’s almost beautiful with smoke from the factories making the air hazy and rosy.

But no sooner do you reach the village of Dörtyol (Four Roads) at the bend in the road, the surreal factory skyline gives way again to a pretty-as-a-picture scene, leafy with humidity and chock full of multi-colored houses and minarets. Then you switch back up steep mountains and down into the inland plains that lead to Antakya.

Here are the top ten things to do with a weekend in the city that is also known as Hatay, where secular and sacred harmonize so well:

1. Stay at a boutique hotel. There are many lovely old buildings that have been restored in Antakya, such as the old soap and olive oil factory Savon.

2. Visit the many places of worship. The city where the term “Christians” was first used has the monotheistic faiths covered with Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches alongside numerous mosques serving both Sunni and Alevi Muslims. Particularly notable are St. Pierre Kilisesi, built into a mountainside outside of town and dating from the very early days of Christianity, and the Habib Neccar Mosque, which features a large central courtyard with fountains. There is even a synagogue in the city.

3. Visit the many cafes. Antakya is a young university town and it shows in the many coffee shops and bars serving cocktails alongside rakı, nargile and backgammon.

4. Go to Little John’s Pizzeria. You can’t miss it as you walk down Kurtuluş Street, one of the main drags of the city. The owner, Levent Bey, spent seven years in Pennsylvania and opened this place in his hometown with a New York-style pizzeria in mind. And while waiting for your slice or pie to go, listen to the code-switching back and forth between Arabic and Turkish.

5. Buy silk scarves. The area around Antakya has many mulberry trees and the city is awash in shops selling fluttery silk things.

6. Buy laurel and olive oil soap. This is another local product, harvested from the many laurel trees in the area that give Harbiye, a village to the south, its ancient Greek name of Daphne (Defne in Turkish).

7. Walk around and look at old houses. There are more than a few gorgeous old Anatolian homes, and they make the city feel lived-in.

8. Walk along the Asi River (formerly known as the Orontes River) and cross its bridges. Antakya has almost a Parisian feel with its quays and promenades. Whether it’s the influence of the river or the university, or some other combination of religion, history, and demographics, there are more public displays of affection here than one usually sees in southeastern Turkey. I often saw couples walking hand in hand or with their arms around each other, or kissing on a bridge.

9. Eat künefe, oruk, hummus with melted butter, thyme salad, and other local specialties. The food is downright delicious and reason enough to visit Hatay.

10. Talk to the locals. Along with the graceful old-world buildings, mosques and churches and cosmopolitan vibe, the people are what makes Antakya so enjoyable. You never feel uncomfortable walking around here and generally people don’t stare. Shop-owners, restaurateurs and hotel staff are friendly and helpful without being curious. Chat with them. They will offer you tea, coffee, fresh strawberries and green plums. If you ask directions, there’s a good chance they will walk with you and show you the way themselves.

Zamira Skalkottas is a contributor to Yabangee

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