Antalya’s Natural Wonders

East of Antalya, the Düden River flows from the magnificent Taurus Mountains down to the Mediterranean Sea. Pomponius Mela, the earliest Roman geographer, gave its ancient name as Katarraktes because the river drops off from about 40-meters of rocky cliff directly into the sea forming a great cataract. The spectacular Düden Waterfalls, the pine-clad Tauros Mountains and the majestic coastline of crystal-clear sea, sandy beaches and rocky headlands make Antalya one of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations. However, a population boom is threatening to overwhelm the city’s transportation system: “Every big city around the world struggles with traffic congestion, and the only way to address this is to improve public transportation,” says Antalya’s mayor, Menderes Turel, and that is why the municipal government is building a new tram line that will reduce the average travel time and reduce greenhouse emissions. Their goal, along with the Antalya Green Hub, which plans to create residential and cultural facilities between the built city and the Taurus Mountains, is to develop a city culture enveloped within nature.