Ancient Antioch — world's largest mosaic collection and Hatay cuisine
Antakya is the modern name for Antioch — once the third city of the Roman Empire, capital of the Seleucid dynasty, and one of the earliest centres of Christianity (the term 'Christian' was first used here). Today it is best known for the Hatay Archaeology Museum, holding the world's largest collection of in-situ Roman floor mosaics (1,400 sq m), and for Hatay cuisine — a table that blends Arabic, Armenian, and Turkish traditions, with muhammara, kisir, sürk cheese, and katmer utterly distinct from anything else on the Anatolian menu. Much of the old city was devastated in the 2023 earthquake.
Antioch was founded in 300 BCE by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, and grew into the largest city of the Hellenistic east. As capital of the Roman province of Syria, it was the birthplace of the Antiochene school of Christian theology and the city where Saint Peter and Paul both preached. The Cave Church of St. Peter, carved into the cliff above the city, is one of the oldest Christian churches in existence. After Arab conquest, Crusader control (1098–1268), Mamluk, and Ottoman rule, the city was ceded to Turkey in 1939 from French-mandate Syria.