Antakya is ancient Antioch, one of the great cities of the eastern Mediterranean and an early centre of Christianity. It sits on the Orontes River near the Syrian border, with Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Ottoman, Turkish, Armenian, and Arab layers packed into a city that has always faced both Syria and Anatolia.
The 2023 earthquake changed the city brutally. Some old streets are still scarred or gone, and a few major sights remain closed or under repair. Even so, Antakya is not just a disaster story. The cave church of St Peter, the mosaics and Roman remains at Necmi Asfuroğlu, the rebuilt Habib-i Nejjar Mosque, and the ancient sites around Samandağ still make this one of Turkey's most historically charged cities.
Come with patience and a car or driver if you want to see the wider Hatay sites. The city centre is walkable in parts, but the best day combines a few central stops with the Church of St Peter or the Roman works near Çevlik.