Since the Hittites of early antiquity, Antalya has been a meeting point for the caravans fromeast and west. At that time, spices, carpets and valuable incense were brought here along the Silk Road. The harbour today still testifies to the thriving trade from distant countries. In the middle of the Kaleici, the old town, houses from the Ottoman, Byzantine and Seljuk periods crowd in a semi-circle around the harbour basin, and the menus of the numerous fish restaurants feature Anatalyan specialities. If visitors climb up the narrow winding streets, past the small artists’ workshops, they will reach Hadrian’s Gate.
