Antalya, Turkey -- City on Belt and Road

Aspendosboaststhebest-preservedRomantheaterinTurkey.

AntalyaistheeighthmostpopulouscityinTurkeyandthecapitalofitseponymousprovince.LocatedonAnatolia'sflourishingsouthwestcoastborderedbytheTaurusMountains,AntalyaisthelargestTurkishcityontheMediterraneancoastwithoveronemillionpeopleinitsmetropolitanarea.

ThecitythatisnowAntalyawasfirstsettledaround200BCbytheAttaliddynastyofPergamon,whichwassoonsubduedbytheRomans.RomanrulesawAntalyathrive,includingtheconstructionofseveralnewmonuments,suchasHadrian'sGate,andtheproliferationofneighboringcities.

TheExpo2016AntalyaisheldfromApril23toOctober30.TheChineseGardenusestheworldheritageSuZhouclassicgardenasacarrierwithexquisiteplantationofBonsaiandtypicalChineseplants.

Thecityhaschangedhandsseveraltimes,includingtotheByzantineEmpirein1207andanexpandingOttomanEmpirein1391.Ottomanrulebroughtrelativepeaceandstabilityforthenextfive-hundredyears.ThecitywastransferredtoItaliansuzeraintyintheaftermathofWorldWarI,butwasrecapturedbyanewlyindependentTurkeyintheWarofIndependence.

Sincethecitywasdeclaredasaninternationalresortinthe1970s,ithassufferedagreatdevelopmentintourism.

Ancient Lycian Rock Tombs, Antalya

Today,Antalyacityisknownasthe“capitalofTurkishtourism”,andhasbecomeoneofthemostimportanttouristicdestinationsoftheworld.Thecityishostingmorethan15millionvisitorseachyear,andisregardedasthebackboneofTurkishtourismsector.

Thecityisbuiltonarockytravertineplateau,formedbynaturalspringsrunningdowntheTorosMountainsandsurgingoffthecliffs,withtheconstantbreathtakingsilhouetteofpeaksandsnowcapsinthedistance.Rockymountains,gushingwaterfalls,soaringcanyons,andlushgardens,perfectforbiking,hiking,cycling,canyoning,rafting,wreckdiving,golfing,andevenskiing--alljustastone'sthrowaway.

A man strolls past market stalls inside Istanbul's Grand Bazzar.

Thecity'sArchaeologicalMuseumiscustodiantoanincrediblecollectionofrichnessofantiquitycollectedinexcavationsatthenearbyopen-airmuseumsofTermessos,Aspendos,andPerge,thelattertwoamongthecitiesontheAnatolianMediterraneanthatwitnessedthearrivalofSt.Paul.

Thecityisalsoanimportantagriculturalcenterwithitsecologicalpracticability.AntalyaMetropolitanMunicipality’scoveredwholesalefoodmarketcomplexmeets65%ofthefreshfruitandvegetabledemandoftheprovince.

Antalya Marina

SinceshipyardsopenedinAntalyaFreeZonein2000,Antalyahasbecomeoneofthefewyachtmanufacturingplacesintheworld.Someoftheseyardshaveadvancedincompositesboatbuildingtechnology.