Antakya

Not to be confused with Antalya.
Antakya
Metropolitan municipality
Clockwise from top: View overlooking Antakya, St. Paul Church, Habib-i Neccar Mosque, Church of Saint Peter, Antakya Ulu Mosque
Flag of Antakya
Flag
Official logo of Antakya
Emblem of Antakya Metropolitan Municipality
Map showing Antakya District in Hatay Province
Map showing Antakya District in Hatay Province
Antakya is located in Turkey
Antakya
Antakya
Coordinates: 36°12′09″N 36°09′38″E / 36.20250°N 36.16056°E / 36.20250; 36.16056
Government
Area
 • Total703 km2 (271 sq mi)
Elevation
67 m (220 ft)
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total399,045
Area code0326
Websitewww.antakya.bel.tr

Antakya (Turkish pronunciation: [ɑnˈtɑkjɑ]; Local Turkish: Anteke[2]), modern form of Antioch (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιόχεια, romanized: Antiókheia; Armenian: Անտիոք, romanized: Andiok; Latin: Antiochia), is a municipality and the capital district of Hatay Province, Turkey.[3] Its area is 703 km2,[4] and its population is 399,045 (2022).[1] It is the capital of Hatay Province, the southernmost province of Turkey. The city is located in a well-watered and fertile valley on the Orontes River, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Levantine Sea.

Today's city stands partly on the site of the ancient Antiochia (Ancient Greek: Ἀντιόχεια, Antiókheia, also known as "Antioch on the Orontes"), which was founded in the fourth century BC by the Seleucid Empire. Antioch later became one of the Roman Empire's largest cities, and was made the capital of the provinces of Syria and Coele-Syria. It was also an influential early center of Christianity;[5] the New Testament asserts that the name "Christian" first emerged in Antioch.[6] The city gained much ecclesiastical importance in the Byzantine Empire. Captured by Umar ibn al-Khattab in the seventh century, the medieval Antakiyah (Arabic: أنطاكية, ʾAnṭākiya) was conquered or re-conquered several times: by the Byzantines in 969, the Seljuks in 1084,[7] the Crusaders in 1098,[8] the Mamluks in 1268,[9] and eventually the Ottomans in 1517,[8] who would integrate it to the Aleppo Eyalet then to the Aleppo Vilayet. The city joined the Hatay State under the French Mandate before joining the Turkish Republic.

On 6 February 2023, the city was heavily damaged by two powerful earthquakes with their epicentre in Kahramanmaraş. Some of the historical sites, including the Church of St Paul, have been destroyed.[10] The earthquakes destroyed several neighbourhoods in the city and left thousands homeless. The death toll in Hatay Province, which includes Antakya, was estimated at over 20,000.[11]

  1. ^ a b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ Nakib, Bülent (2004). Antakya ağzı: dilbilgisi ve sözlük (in Turkish). Hatay Folklor Araştırmaları Derneği. p. 43. Anteke : Antakya adının Antakya ağzında söyleniş biçimi
  3. ^ Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ "The mixture of Roman, Greek, and Jewish elements admirably adapted Antioch for the great part it played in the early history of Christianity. The city was the cradle of the church." — "Antioch," Encyclopaedia Biblica, Vol. I, p. 186 (p. 125 of 612 in online .pdf file. Warning: Takes several minutes to download).
  6. ^ "Acts 11:26 - The Church at Antioch". Bible Hub.
  7. ^ Gregg, Heather Selma (January 2014). The Path to Salvation: Religious Violence from the Crusades to Jihad. ISBN 9781612346618.
  8. ^ a b Roberson, Ronald (1995). The Eastern Christian Churches: A Brief Survey. ISBN 9788872103104.
  9. ^ Cecilia Gaposchkin, M. (17 January 2017). Invisible Weapons: Liturgy and the Making of Crusade Ideology. ISBN 9781501707971.
  10. ^ Borges, Anelise (2023-02-10). "'Antakya is finished': Thousands left homeless in ruined city". euronews. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  11. ^ "Lütfü Savaş: Hatay'da 20 bin kişi öldü, 24 bin yaralı vartrans-title=Lütfü Savaş: 20 thousand people died and 24 thousand were injured in Hatay" (in Turkish). Artı Gerçek. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 November 2023.