History
Konyaaltı > History
"The region known as Konyaaltı today was referred to as KOYALTI due to its location on the cliffs of Antalya until recent history, and it gradually transformed into Konyaaltı in colloquial language. According to the settlement map of Anatolian Civilizations, Konyaaltı is located within the boundaries of Lycia. Lycia is bordered by Pamphylia. The city in the Konyaaltı region, which is known to have belonged to the Lycian civilization that dates back to around 30 BC, is called OLBIA. Regarding Olbia, the Department of Archaeology at the Mediterranean University has been conducting research excavations for some time. Assoc. Prof. Nevzat Çevik, who has participated in these studies, describes the existence of Olbia as follows: "The remains that have survived to this day in a very wide area from Arapsuyu to Boğa Creek confirm the ancient sources referring to a 'strong fortress' and indicate that Olbia was located in the vicinity of the Arapsuyu estuary with Deliktaş as its center. The remains of early wall structures with a thickness of 2.70 meters and quay blocks demonstrate that Olbia was a coastal settlement where sea vessels could dock. It was a small settlement established by the Solyms, who lived in Termessos, for the purpose of trade and transportation. However, this settlement also exhibits characteristics beyond a 'demos.' In fact, Imhoof-Blumer even suggests that some Lycian coins minted in the 5th century BC could belong to Olbia. Hierokles, who recorded that Olbia was the fifth city in Olbia Pampilia and the southern neighbor of Termessos, along with ancient sources from Hierokles to Strabo, compared with each other and with the remains we have identified, clarifies the place of Olbia in the Mediterranean geography, which corresponds to the present-day Arapsuyu." Assoc. Prof. Nevzat Çevik mentions the role of Olbia in the establishment of Atteleia, which is now called Kaleiçi: "It is certain that Olbia existed long before the establishment of Atteleia. Because Atteleia was established by II Attalos (159-138 BC) together with some Olbians. In this sense, Atteleia can be considered as the city of the Solyms or the Olbians. The reason why II Attalos, who owned Pamphylia on behalf of the Kingdom of Pergamon through the Peace of Apameia, wanted to establish a new port city right next to Olbia is concealed in the ancient Olbia geography. The "quay blocks" identified in some research conducted in the early 60s indicate that the sea entered the interior from the west of the fortified Deliktaş and that ships took shelter there. Apparently, this inlet had been filled with sand from the sea and the alluvium of Arapsuyu, rendering it unusable over time. This is one of the reasons why Attalos was searching for a new location. And Atteleia possesses all the characteristics he was looking for in a city, naturally sheltered. It is evident that it provided a habitat for the Solyms who wanted access to the sea of Olbia. Although this habitat cannot be considered a full-fledged city, it was powerful enough to establish a colony named Cadrama in Lycia. However, with the departure of the Olbians who separated from Attalos and the influence of the new city, Olbia began to lose