An Introduction of Antalya Hadrian's Gate 🇹🇷- GuideTourism

Hadrian’s Gate or Hadrian Kapısı in Turkish is one of the most prominent and important historical buildings in the city of Antalya, Turkey. The location of Hadrian’s Gate is in the city center and next to Atatürk Boulevard. Of course, tourists know this beautiful place by other names such as Triple Gate, Üçkapılar, and Hadrianus all over the world.

Each of these names has its own history; for example, Hadrian’s name is placed on this gate from the ancient history of this city in the 2nd century AD and the visit of the ancient Roman emperor and its second name (three arches) is also related to its architecture which consists of three arches.

A History and Introduction of Antalya Hadrian’s Gates

According to one of the narratives, about 10 centuries before the construction of Hadrian’s Gate, the Queen of Sheba Belqis went to this land to meet King Solomon, and on her way passed under Hadrian’s Gate and rested for a while in the Aspendos Palace of Antalya.

This story is not consistent with what was narrated in the books, and therefore some people rejected the hypothesis of its authenticity. Also, according to the sources, Hadrian’s Gate was discovered by Westerners with the writings of Francis Beaufort’s trip to the southern coast of Asia Minor in 1817. This gate is a part of the ancient wall that surrounded the old city, was built of white marble and in the form of three arches with Corinthian columns in honor of Hadrian’s trip and visit that city in 130 AD.

According to the statements, the building of Hadrian’s Gate, Antalya was originally a 2-story building and what remains of this building today is its first floor.

The architecture of Hadrian’s Gate

Hadrian’s Gate, which is actually the entrance to the Kaleiçi region, is the only remaining entrance gate to the ancient city, it has a total of 8 granite columns that are located on both sides of the four pillars supporting the triple arches of the gate.

Hadrian’s Gate includes three arches of the same size, each with a width of 4.15 meters and a height of 6.18 meters. The height of the entire building is 8 meters from the lowest part of the street pavement to the highest point of the pillars.

There are also two towers on both sides of this gate, the left tower belongs to the ancient Roman era, and part of the right tower was restored during the Byzantine Empire. Archaeologists believe that the original building was two stories, but today there are no traces of the second story, in the eastern part of this ancient and beautiful gate, traces of ancient Roman architecture can be seen.

This gate also includes a very beautiful and pleasant courtyard that is located between two gates and two turrets adjacent to these gates, as well as the appealing and stunning tiny and big sculptures that surround these two towers, which add to the attractiveness of this ancient edifice. The lower portion of these towers is highlighted with an inscription painted in Turkish and Arabic calligraphy.

How to get to Hadrian’s Gate?

Since Antalya’s public transportation system is good, modern, and advanced, you can easily visit Hadrian’s Gate without paying a lot of money. Bus, tram, and taxi are among the vehicles that you can use to reach this beautiful place, but the best and most economical way to go to this Antalya tourist attraction is the bus.

For this, it is enough to use credit cards or Antalya cards, it should be noted that the cost of the route is 10 to 15 liras and you can pay through these cards.

You may take a taxi to this ancient site in addition to taking the bus, but keep in mind that the admission charge for taxis in Antalya is 3 lire, and this amount increases by 3 lire every kilometer, and keep in mind that the cost of taxis in Antalya doubles between 12:00 pm and 6:00 am.

If the cost of transportation doesn’t matter for you, taxi is the best option, but if you want to save money, trams are the best option, followed by buses. For the convenience of tourists who want to use the tram, there are 16 tram stations to enter the Kaleiçi area, and tourists can use any of these stations and get off at the “Fittingly” station, which is the destination station, and go to Hadrian Gate.

Tourist attractions where are close to Hadrian’s Gate

Since Hadrian Gate is located in the Kaleichi area, you can spend a day exploring this area. For example, Yivli Minaret Mosque, Artillery Park, Antalya Ancient Museum, Mahmoud Pasha Mosque, Clock Tower, etc. are near Hadrian’s Gate. At the end of the day, you can choose one of the cafes or restaurants of Calais Ichir and relieve your fatigue.