Antakya

Acts 11:26: "So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians."

Seleucus I Nicator was a general serving Alexander the Great, who after Alexander died controlled a swathe of Asia stretching clear to India. He fought rivals for territory further south and west, and his war elephants from India helped him win the Battle of Ipsos in 301 BC and gain Syria. He founded four cities in Syria, making Antioch capital of his Seleucid Empire. Indeed he's said to have founded 16 cities called Antioch (plus nine Seleucias and six Laodiceas), but many were later creations associating themselves with his famous name, as others did with his boss Alexander.

In 63 BC the Seleucid Empire succumbed to the Romans, who continued to treat Antioch as a major metropolis, surpassing Alexandria. At that time it was a seaport, with a cosmopolitan mix of population, including Jews escaping unrest in Jerusalem. Many in Antioch might feel that their traditional gods hadn't done much for them, and be a ready audience for radicals preaching a new creed. Around 42 AD, Barnabas the Apostle met up with Saul / Paul of Tarsus and brought him to Antioch to continue their missionary work together. Crucially, they sought to convert gentiles direct to their creed, so Christianity was no longer just a sect within Judaism. It spread across Asia Minor to become a global religion.

By plane:

1 Hatay Airport (HTY IATA). Turkish Airlines fly three times a day from Istanbul (IST) and twice from Istanbul (SAW), taking 1 hr 50 min. One flight a day is from Ankara. Pegasus also fly twice a day from Istanbul (SAW). No international flights but Istanbul has excellent connections. Hatay airport has been patched up after the earthquake but has only basic facilities. (updated Jun 2026)

The airport is 25 km north of city centre. The Havas bus is supposed to meet flights and run downtown, taking an hour to the stop at İnönü Cd 30, near the main square and Hacı Durmuş bridge. Good luck with that.

Otherwise look for a dolmuş or taxi.

By train:

The nearest station is in Iskenderun, but trains from Adana and Mersin remain suspended because of interminable track works.

By bus:

Buses from Istanbul run every couple of hours and take 14 hours via Ankara, Niğde, Adana and Iskenderun. Buses no longer run from Beirut or Aleppo.

Bus lines are Metro Turizm, Kamil Koç (now part of Flixbus) and Has Turizm. For online tickets select "Hatay" as the destination, bus websites don't recognise "Antakya".

2 Antakya Otogarı is the intercity bus station, on the bypass 5 km northwest of city centre. It was badly damaged by the earthquake, and as of June 2026 is not yet rebuilt, with makeshift facilities. Dolmuşes run downtown.

By road:

From Istanbul or Ankara take the motorway (toll) to Adana then O-52 east onto E91, a fast divided highway. It joins D817 south of İskenderun, to twist and turn over Belen Pass (the ancient Syrian Gates) through the Amanos Mountains and join D825.

A scenic detour is to follow the coast road south from İskenderun via Arsuz, Çevlik and Samandağ then take D420 east to Antakya.

From Gaziantep, quickest is to take D400 or O-52 (toll) west to Nurdağı to join D825, which heads south across the dusty plains east of the mountains. Or you could could go south on D850 to Kilis, then follow D410 along the Syrian border to join D825.