Spatial development of the Antalya city walls throughout history and in relations with politicial, social, economic factors

The city of Antalya, located in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey, is home to a rich historical heritage. The city was inhabited during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican periods and preserved its importance throughout history. The built environment of the city developed and transformed during these periods. One of the most important elements of the mentioned built environment is the city walls surrounding the city. Antalya city walls protected their importance until the Republican period, witnessed various conflicts and underwent various repairs; in the republic period, with the spread of the concept of conservation, they maintains their importance as a cultural asset. City walls, beyond being defensive structures built for military purposes, deserve to be examined in a wider context. Antalya city walls and city gates have been directly or indirectly affected by the political, social and economic developments in history. On the other hand, the walls themselves; had a direct or indirect impact on the course of political, social and economic developments. There are also various interactions between the city walls and the rest of the city. While city walls sometimes determine the nature of the city in a certain period, sometimes they have changed at the same time in accordance with the basic character of the city. In this study it is determined that the city of Antalya has acquired four basic qualities throghout history. These are military base, commercial center, agricultural center and tourism center. When the city gained stability, the city walls lost their importance; the commercial center quality came to the fore, fertile agricultural lands could be used with the possibility of life outside the city walls, and the agricultural center propery became evident. During the periods when the city lost its stability, the city walls gained importance, the military base quality of the city came to the fore thanks to the city walls, and the city walls were able to sustain commercial center feature as they could make organized trade area possible. The recognition of the city walls as a cultural heritage has played a role in the sustenance of the tourism center quality of the city. When the spatial development of the city is evaluated in relation with political, social and economic factors, it has been concluded that the city walls have undergone changes in mutual interaction with the basic historical qualities imposed on the city.