This is the city where the name “Christians” came from. It is a city rich with history and I would like to present to you the 3 best things to see in Antakya to really experience it. Most Bible readers refer to it as Syrian Antioch.
We were just 5 miles from the Syrian border, so we were a little nervous. However there was really nothing to worry about. There are amazing things to see here both new and old and list all of them below. Enjoy.
1. The Church of St Peter (Saint Pierre Kilisesi)
Where is it located?
This “church” is actually a cave. It is located here. It was carved into the mountain of Haç ( translation: ‘Mountain of the Cross’). Much like the early Christian history of Cappadocia, Christians met in caves. As Christendom does with most Christian sites, they built a church on it. A little disappointing, but expected. To really see the cave, you must go inside the church.
Was this really where the 1st century Christians met?
There is no exact way to know. The assumption is based on oral tradition up until the fourth century. Only then do we have documented accounts about it as a meeting place for Christians.
What are the claims about this church?
Though there is no historical or archaeological evidence to these claims outside the Bible. Here are the claims:
- The cave and property belonged to the apostle Luke who donated it to the burgeoning congregation of followers*
- This is the place where the name “Christians” came from. – Acts 11:26
- The Apostles Peter and Paul lived in Antioch for some time and it is claimed they taught regularly at this cave.
- The Apostle Peter and other Christians used this cave to worship in secret, hiding from the Roman soliders.
What you will see at this church?
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| This altar was added in the 1800’s |
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| This cave and mosaic floor (5th century) are on your left when you enter. |
The cave is not open to tourists. This is supposedly was an escape route in case of danger.
2. Titus tunnel
As the largest hand made tunnel in the world, it is 1,380 meters long. The constructor is emperor Vespasian of the first century. His successor finished it in the second century. It is a true marvel of ancient Roman engineering.
To this day, engineers marvel that this tunnel was carved through solid rock with chisels and hammers.
Where is it located?
The entrance to the cave is here. The roads along the coast have plenty of free parking. But if you want to save a lot of walking, there is a paid parking lot here.
Why was it built?
Emperor Vespasian decided to built it in order to alleviate the threat of flooding from the nearby mountains in the nearby city of Seleucia. As the floodwaters came down the mountain they would flood the city and fill the port with silt.
To remedy this, Vespasian ordered his army personnel and prisoners to carve a water tunnel to divert the floodwaters straight to the Mediterranean.
What you will see?
This is an indirect relation to the Bible as you will be able to see 1st century homes of ancient Antioch. Look out for the carving at the entrance of the tunnel. Here it is:
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| Inscription at entrance mentions Vespasian and his son Titus. |
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| The entrance to the Vespasian – Titus tunnel. |
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| There are ruins nearby the tunnel entrance. |
3. The Hatay Archaeological Museum
Where is it located?
The museum is located in the city of Antakya, Turkey. The coordinates on google maps is here. It is very close to the Church of Saint Peter.
What will you see?
There are a few highlights to this museum. This last highlight is the best thing to see at the museum related to the Bible.
First are the amazing mosaics. Most date back to the second and third centuries BC.
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| The mosaics are larger than life. |
Second, there are artifacts from the Hittite civilization of the Bible, though it cannot be stated with certainty. Here is a statue of Hittite King Suppiluliuma.
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| Hittite King Suppiluliuma. |
The Esarhaddon Succession Treaty
And third, what is probably the most controversial item at this museum is the Esarhaddon Succession Treaty. In my opinion it is one of the best things to see in Antakya. Here is what makes this artifact so interesting:
The Bible account says that Sennacherib died along with his 185,000 troops when laying siege to Jerusalem*. When Sennacherib returns home, he is assassinated by his three sons.
According to historical records, the three sons murdered Sennacherib.* This was because he made Esarhaddon the heir to his throne.* Esarhaddon was not the eldest son and this angered the other sons. Hence the murder of their father. The attempted coup resulted in a 6 week civil war.
To ensure that such a violent succession to the throne did not happen to his son, Esarhaddon had the document above made and copies sent to all corners of his empire, including Israel. It spelled out exactly who was to succeed him and how.
Now here is the interesting part…
This document has remarkable similarities to the Bible book of Deuteronomy. In many places, it is almost word for word. Esarhaddon replaces the name Jehovah with the name of his son Esarhaddon. Deuteronomy chapter 20 lists successive curses that would come upon those that rebelled against Jehovah and this treaty copies it and lists the maledictions for disobedience in the same order.
Researchers debate about who copied who. They even change the date of the writing for Deuteronomy and say it was copied from this tablet*. But it takes no stretch of the imagination to realize that Esarhaddon could have come across the writings of the book of Deuteronomy in his dealings with the nation of Israel and copied them.
Those are the 3 best things to see in Antakya. Check out some of our other trips to the seven congregations of Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
SARDIS, TURKEY – 3 INTERESTING CONNECTIONS TO THE BIBLE
PHILADELPHIA, TURKEY | 3 THINGS YOU MUST SEE
LAODICEA, TURKEY | THREE INTERESTING FINDS
SMYRNA, TURKEY – PICTURES OF AN ANCIENT CITY
EPHESUS – VALUABLE BIBLE CONNECTIONS TO THE ANCIENT CITY
PERGAMON – WHICH TEMPLE IS THE ‘THRONE OF SATAN’?
THYATIRA – AMAZING PARALLELS IN A CITY OF PURPLE AND COPPER
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