From the Roman empire to Türkiye ... a shared heritage: Antakya — Antiochia

 HATAY, Turkiye-- This is the story of a small yet unique city in every sense, located at the southernmost edge of Türkiye. This is the story of Antakya — a noble, sacred province that, despite all the values it has created, preserved, and sustained, has not received the recognition it deserves; a city that is sometimes forgotten and sometimes ignored. Especially after the devastating earthquake of 2023, it was left in ruins and still is trying to heal its wounds. This is the story of the shared roots of Humanity ...

 Although it lies within the borders of Türkiye today, Hatay — and especially the province of Antakya, known in antiquity as Antioch (Antiochia in Roman sources) — with its thousands of years of shared history, culture, and preserved systems of belief, is a unique common heritage of humanity, a signature of civilizations. Antakya carries the traces of 13 out of 23 civilizations, including the Seleucids, Macedonians, Hittites, Romans, Byzantines, Mamluks, Seljuks, and Ottomans. Since the day it appeared on the stage of history, this small city has embraced 72 nations, witnessed the victories of Alexander the Great, become a jewel of the Holy Roman Empire, served as the Ottoman gateway to the Middle East, and finally, in 1939, became part of Türkiye through the special efforts of Mustafa Kemal, the founding leader of the Republic. This ancient city truly lives up to its description as the “cradle of civilizations.”

 With a history dating back to 4500 BC, Hatay — one of the earliest known settlements —has, despite being overshadowed by power struggles, ultimately cultivated peace and developed a unique culture of coexistence. Antakya itself was founded around 300 BC as the capital of the Seleucid Kingdom. According to legend, Emperor Seleucus I Nicator asked Zeus to reveal the right place to establish the city, but unsatisfied with the first location, he asked again. Eventually, a site between Mount Silpius (today’s Mount Habib-i Neccar) and the Orontes River was suggested. Seleucus I Nicator laid the foundation of the city there and named it Antiochia, meaning “the city of Antiochos,” in honor of his father.

 By 64 BC, Antakya was conquered by the Roman commander Pompei and declared a metropolis. During the Roman period, Antakya was not only a military and political centre but also a hub for theatre, sports, Olympic Games, education, and trade. For Rome, Antakya was almost a showcase of the empire. In a short time, it became the fourth largest city of the known world, after Rome, Alexandria, and Ephesus.

 Known as the “Queen of the East,” Antakya became a synthesis of Hellenistic, Roman, and Eastern cultures during the Roman period. It is no exaggeration to say that the cosmopolitan character that still defines Antakya today began to take shape during this era. One of the most remarkable contributions of the empire was street lighting. The street known today as Kurtuluş Street, referred to as Herod Street in Roman times, was illuminated at night with oil lamps, making it one of the first lit streets in history.

 Beyond street lighting, the flame of Christianity was also ignited in Antakya. After the death of Jesus, under the leadership of Saint Peter, a group of religious scholars carried out their work here, and in St. Pierre Church — considered the first cave church in the world — the term “Christian” was used for the first time. From here, Christianity spread to the world. In 1963, Pope Paul VI declared St. Pierre Church a pilgrimage site. Today, Antakya remains one of the most important centres of Christianity after Jerusalem.

 The first mosque of Anatolia, the Habib-i Neccar Mosque, is also in this city; so is the Orontes River, the only river in the world that flows in reverse; the Titus Tunnel, one of the longest man-made tunnels; one of the world’s largest archaeological museums; and the myths of Daphne and Apollo… Bells, calls to prayer, and the hazzan’s voice all echo together. Sounds intertwine, emotions intertwine, religions intertwine, languages intertwine — and what emerges is a remarkable harmony called Antakya. There is a common saying in Antakya: “One who lives with a community for 40 days becomes one of them.” The people of this ancient city have lived together for thousands of such 40 days, and in doing so, they have become “one.”

 Imagine a city -- Turks, Kurds, Arabs, Armenians; Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants; Alawites, Sunnis, Jews -- a place where different nations, religions, and belief systems truly share a common ground and live together in peace. In a world marked by conflict and destruction, such a place may seem like a fantasy — yet it is real, and its name is Antakya. In Antakya, not only  the living but also the dead lie side by side. As much as there are shared living spaces, there are shared burial grounds. As they say: we are together in life, and together in death. 

 At the heart of this culture lies respect, dedication, a longing for peace, solidarity, and a collective way of life. The children of this city grow up seeing differences not as divisions, but as cultural richness. In what other city but Antakya can you stand at one point and see a mosque, a church, and a synagogue at the same time? Bells, calls to prayer, and the hazzan’s voice… This is what it means, in the language of Antakya, to say: “We are different, and together we are beautiful.” There is also a widely used local Arabic expression that captures this spirit: “Kell min le dīno, Allāh ʿīno.” It means: everyone lives their own faith as they wish, and God is with them. It reflects the idea that reaching the Creator with a pure heart does not require belonging to a single religion — because faith is a deeply personal relationship between the Creator and the created. This culture of Antakya is, in essence, a unity of differences… and perhaps we share far more in common than we think.

 Until Feb. 6, 2023, Antakya had already endured two great fires and six major earthquakes throughout its history. The seventh — the most devastating — fell upon us, killing tens of thousands of people. Wars, destruction, earthquakes,fires, disasters … all have taken much away.  Yet the culture of coexistence in Antakya has survived for thousands of years despite all these challenges. Antakya has done this remarkably well — but today, Antakya is tired. Antakya has been left to its fate. Alongside rebuilding after the earthquake, Hatay is now facing another serious challenge --migration and demographic transformation. The founder of modern Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal, once said, “Hatay is my personal matter.”

 Today, it is clear that this ancient city is no longer merely a personal matter, but a matter of identity. Shaped by a shared heritage of civilizations, Antakya deserves both greater visibility on the international stage and a collective effort to preserve its essence. And now, this story is yours too.

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