Back in november, the weekend of Thanksgiving, we took another trip to the state of Antakya also known as Hatay, in the southeast bordering Syria. This is the location of the first known Christian church as well as the worlds fourth largest acheological museum, one of the oldest mosques in the country, mosaics and caves. The church of Saint Pierre is in the city of Antakya where we spent the first day touring. The church itself is very impressive for its age and still in very good condition. It was carved out of the mountain side and also sits along side many smaller caves and tunnels. There is an old cathlic school in the city we were allowed in to visit. We were also allowed to go exploring through one of the bazaars and ended up finding old abandonned wood shops that we discovered we could walk from roof to roof across the neighborhoods on.
Because the city holds great biblical significance, many devout christians from around the world make pilgramages to Antakya every year, I happened to be there on the same day as a group from France and another from Spain. I am also now called Hajı because I have ben to a holy place. The city also feels very old as well as looking like it. Many ancient buildings are currently under renovation to be turned into hotels, cafes and museums.
The second day of the trip was spent in the coastal city of İskanderun an hour south of Antakya. There isnt much to see there but it was a beautiful city.
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