Antakya (Antioch)
Antakya—perhaps better known by its old name, Antioch—was founded in about 300 BC and quickly grew, thanks to its strategic location on the trade routes. Under the Romans, it became the empire's third most famous city, surpassed only by Alexandria and Rome. Famed for its luxury and famous for its depravity, Antioch was chosen by St. Paul as the purpose of his first mission. The cave church in which he addressed remains a pilgrimage site today while beautiful displays in the Hatay Müzesi claim to the artistic achievements of the Roman era.
After feeling earthquakes and assorted raids, the city fell to Crusaders in 1098; then was almost leveled by the Egyptians in 1268. A late joining to the Turkish Republic, Antakya was controlled by France after 1920 as part of its command over Syria, which still has an outstanding territorial claim on it. Although the city reverted to Turkey just before World War II, it still maintains a unique character. The people here are mostly bilingual, talking both Turkish and a local accent of Arabic. In the cobbled streets of the old quarter, you can also hear Syriac (Aramaic), the language spoken by many of Turkey's Christians.