Gazipasa
Encyclopedia
Gazipaşa is a town and district of Antalya Province
on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey
, 180 km east of the city of Antalya
. Gazipaşa is a quiet rural district famous for its bananas, oranges and international airport. Gazipaşa district is adjacent to Alanya
to the west, Sarıveliler
to the north and Anamur
to the east.
The old name of Gazipaşa was Selinus, which mutated to Selinti in the early Turkish period.
rising steeply behind (highest point the 2253m "Deliktaş". You can find prehistoric animal remains (shelled sea animals) around these highest points on the mountains. Because before Taurus Mountains (Paleozoic
Age) these peaks were seaside.
The coast road is narrow and winding beyond Alanya
, making Gazipaşa remote and hard to access from Antalya and even more so from further east (it is 80 km to the next town Anamur
but it takes two hours to drive). The remote rocky hillsides are reputedly home to large quantities of snakes, scorpions and other dangerous wildlife. There is 50 km of coastline, about half of which is sandy beaches and even the rocky stretches have small coves that are also used for swimming. The beaches of Gazipaşa are used as nesting grounds by the sea turtles caretta caretta. Construction is forbidden in these sea turtle areas. It makes these beaches even more silent.
The local economy depends on agriculture; the land on the coastal strip is used for growing fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits and bananas, and in recent years a large number of glasshouses have been built to produce crops such as cucumbers, strawberries and artichokes all year round. Some grain is also grown and animals are grazed higher in the mountains. There is also some forestry and fishing but no industry. The local council is controlled by the centre-left CHP
. Its current mayor is Cemburak Özgenç.
Gazipaşa has not experienced the tourist boom of neighbouring Alanya
but there are now efforts being made to attract tourists to the district by building a yacht marina and an international airport. Tourist attractions include some sites from antiquity, caves, beaches, mountain walking.
The new Gazipasa Airport will serve the tourist economies of Alanya
and Yesiloz
.
settlement going back to 2000 BC, and it is assumed that this coast was settled long before that. The Ancient Greek
city of Selinus was established here on the River Kestros (today called Hacımusa) by 628 BC, as part of the kingdom of Cilicia
. In 197 BC the area passed into the hands of the Ancient Romans, and in the 1st century AD the Emperor Trajan
died here after falling ill while journeying along the Mediterranean coast. His body was taken by his successor Hadrian
for burial in Rome and for a period the town was named Traianapolis.
The Romans were succeeded by the Byzantines
, who lost the area to the Seljuk Turks of `Ala' ad-Din Kay-Qubad in 1225. During the area of the Anatolian beyliks the coast including Selinti was controlled by the Karamanid clan of Konya
and was brought into the Ottoman Empire
in 1472 by Gedik Ahmet Pasha, naval commander of Sultan Mehmet II. The 17th century traveller Evliya Çelebi
records Selinti as a group of 26 villages, with a well-kept mosque on the seafront along with a jetty for boats to Cyprus, and green mountains behind.
Archaeological research continues and in 2004 a team from Florida State University
found a small bronze statue of Pegasus
dating back to 300 BC in the waters off Gazipaşa; it is now in the Museum of Alanya.
We can list the castles in Gazipasa as Selinus, Iotape, Lamus (Adanda), Nephelis and Antiochia ad Cragum
.
Antalya Province
Antalya Province is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean sea.Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. The province of Antalya corresponds to the lands of...
on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, 180 km east of the city of Antalya
Antalya
Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
. Gazipaşa is a quiet rural district famous for its bananas, oranges and international airport. Gazipaşa district is adjacent to Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
to the west, Sarıveliler
Sariveliler
Sarıveliler is a town and district of Karaman Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2000 census, population of the district is 21,308 of which 6,718 live in the town of Sarıveliler.-History:...
to the north and Anamur
Anamur
Anamur is a town and district of the province of Mersin, on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey, between Antalya and the city of Mersin.Anamur is Turkey's southernmost point, a coastal resort famous for its bananas and peanuts.-Etymology:...
to the east.
The old name of Gazipaşa was Selinus, which mutated to Selinti in the early Turkish period.
Geography
The district of Gazipaşa stands on a narrow strip of coast between the Mediterranean Sea and the high Taurus MountainsTaurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
rising steeply behind (highest point the 2253m "Deliktaş". You can find prehistoric animal remains (shelled sea animals) around these highest points on the mountains. Because before Taurus Mountains (Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
Age) these peaks were seaside.
The coast road is narrow and winding beyond Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
, making Gazipaşa remote and hard to access from Antalya and even more so from further east (it is 80 km to the next town Anamur
Anamur
Anamur is a town and district of the province of Mersin, on the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey, between Antalya and the city of Mersin.Anamur is Turkey's southernmost point, a coastal resort famous for its bananas and peanuts.-Etymology:...
but it takes two hours to drive). The remote rocky hillsides are reputedly home to large quantities of snakes, scorpions and other dangerous wildlife. There is 50 km of coastline, about half of which is sandy beaches and even the rocky stretches have small coves that are also used for swimming. The beaches of Gazipaşa are used as nesting grounds by the sea turtles caretta caretta. Construction is forbidden in these sea turtle areas. It makes these beaches even more silent.
The local economy depends on agriculture; the land on the coastal strip is used for growing fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits and bananas, and in recent years a large number of glasshouses have been built to produce crops such as cucumbers, strawberries and artichokes all year round. Some grain is also grown and animals are grazed higher in the mountains. There is also some forestry and fishing but no industry. The local council is controlled by the centre-left CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
. Its current mayor is Cemburak Özgenç.
Gazipaşa has not experienced the tourist boom of neighbouring Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
but there are now efforts being made to attract tourists to the district by building a yacht marina and an international airport. Tourist attractions include some sites from antiquity, caves, beaches, mountain walking.
The new Gazipasa Airport will serve the tourist economies of Alanya
Alanya
Alanya , formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, from the city of Antalya. On the southern coast of Turkey, the district has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and 248,286 inhabitants...
and Yesiloz
Yesiloz
Yesiloz is an unspoilt resort village located in Turkey, part of the seaside resort of Alanya on the south Mediterranean coast. Yesiloz has a large sandy beach which stretches for about 3 km...
.
History
This is a part of the world with a long history, and there is evidence of HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
settlement going back to 2000 BC, and it is assumed that this coast was settled long before that. The Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
city of Selinus was established here on the River Kestros (today called Hacımusa) by 628 BC, as part of the kingdom of Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
. In 197 BC the area passed into the hands of the Ancient Romans, and in the 1st century AD the Emperor Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
died here after falling ill while journeying along the Mediterranean coast. His body was taken by his successor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
for burial in Rome and for a period the town was named Traianapolis.
The Romans were succeeded by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, who lost the area to the Seljuk Turks of `Ala' ad-Din Kay-Qubad in 1225. During the area of the Anatolian beyliks the coast including Selinti was controlled by the Karamanid clan of Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
and was brought into the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1472 by Gedik Ahmet Pasha, naval commander of Sultan Mehmet II. The 17th century traveller Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
records Selinti as a group of 26 villages, with a well-kept mosque on the seafront along with a jetty for boats to Cyprus, and green mountains behind.
Archaeological research continues and in 2004 a team from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
found a small bronze statue of Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
dating back to 300 BC in the waters off Gazipaşa; it is now in the Museum of Alanya.
We can list the castles in Gazipasa as Selinus, Iotape, Lamus (Adanda), Nephelis and Antiochia ad Cragum
Antiochia ad Cragum
Antiochia ad Cragum also known as Antiochetta or Latin: Antiochia Parva is an ancient Hellenistic city on Cragus mountain overlooking the Mediterranean coast, in the region of Cilicia Trachea, in Anatolia...
.