Yivliminare Mosque The Central District

Also worth exploring are the flower-filled Karaalioglu Park and adjacent 14-metre tower, Hıdırlık Kalesi, which dates to the first or second century AD and was originally built as a mausoleum, morphing naturally into a watchtower and lighthouse.

There are a couple of minarets of note too: the Broken Minaret (Kesik Minare) started life as a Roman temple, then a church before being transformed into a mosque by the Seljuk Turkish Empire of Rum in the tenth century. Destroyed in a fire in 1846, the remaining portion has been known as the broken minaret, and is used as a meeting point for many locals and visitors. The Fluted Minaret was built in the early thirteenth century and located right next to the Kulliye, a complex of various buildings that includes an associated mosque with a beautiful domed roof, various tombs, and the Mevlevihane, or State Fine Arts Gallery.

Antalya has some very fine beaches too. Konyaaltı Beach (Konyaalti Plajı) is a long, pebbly blue flag beach located on the west side of the city. The beach begins just past the Lower Düden Waterfalls and continues into the Gulf of Antalya. There are plentiful shade trees, snack stands, restaurants, cafes and bars, showers and other services, as well as beach chairs and sun umbrellas for rent.

Lara Beach (Lara Plajı) lies east of Antalya and is perhaps the most accessible beach from the centre. Also a blue flag beach, the real sand beach starts on the eastern side and extends for several kilometres; most parts of the beach are backed by commercial services offering beach chairs, sun umbrellas, snacks and drinks, showers and even entertainment.