The City of Antalya
Antalya, Turkey's pricipal holiday resort, is an attractive city with shady palm-lined boulevards and a prize-winning marina. In the picturesque old quarter, Kaleiçi, narrow, winding streets and old wooden houses about the ancient city walls.
Since its founding in the second century B.C. by Attalos II, a king of Pergamon, who named the city Attaleia after himself, Antalya has been continuously inhabited. The Romans, Byzantines and Seljuks successively occupied the city before it came under Ottoman rule.
The elegant, fluted minaret of the Yivli Minareli Mosque in the center of the city, built by the Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubat in the 13th century, has become Antalya's symbol. The Karatay Medrese (theological college) in the Kaleiçi district, from the same period, exemplifies the best of Suljuk Stone carving.
The two most important Ottoman mosques in the city are the 16th Murat Pasa Mosque, remarkable for its tile decoration, and the 18th century Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque. Neighbouring the marina, the attractive late 19th century Iskele Mosque is built of cut Stone and set on four pillars over a natural spring. The Hidirlik Kulesi (tower) probably was originally constructed as a lighthouse in the second century.
The Kesik Minaret Mosque attests to the city's long history in its succession of Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman renovations.
When Emperor Hadrian visited Antalya in 130 A.D. a beautiful decorated three-arched gate was built into the city walls in his honour. Near the marina the two towers flanking the gate and other sections of the walls still stand. The clock tower in Kalekapsi Square was also part of the old city's fortifications.
The competition venue
Dilek Sabancı Sport Hall, situated in Antalya, Turkey was inaugurated on 3 November 2001.
At the opening ceremony of the gymnasium, which has been built by taking into consideration the warm-up and practice needs of the weight lifters, World Weight Lifting Championship took place.
The floor of Dilek Sabanci Antalya Gymnasium, with a closed area of 2,750 square meters, has been constructed by using imported wood parquet convenient for volleyball, basketball, handball, wrestling, judo, fencing, and gymnastics competitions.
The Gymnasium, which is in compliance with the national and international standards, has a weight lifting warm-up and practice areas, game area, protocol hall, press and VIP platforms, training salons, changing rooms, meeting rooms and a cafeteria. It has a total capacity of 2,500 people and 100-150 persons use it everyday.