Hadrian’s Gate

Hadrian’s Gate was built in AD 130 due to the arrival of Emperor Hadrianus to Antalya. It is located on Atatürk Street nowadays with the walls surrounding the ancient port. The structure, which is also known as Üç Kapılar (The Three Doors) among the people, is one of the best-preserved and symbolic historical artifacts of Antalya. The monumental gate adds beauty to the silhouette of Antalya with its thousands of years of history, elegant details, and flamboyant architecture.

Complemented by long columns, ornamented arches, and towers rising on both sides, this iconic structure is in harmony with the historical texture of Kaleiçi. The history of the gate, which is integrated with its aesthetic architecture, strengthens the story of Hadrian, and illuminates the history of Antalya.

Hadrian was born in Naples in 76 AD. He took the throne after the Roman emperor Traian and ruled on wide lands from Britain to the Persian Gulf with a peaceful policy for 21 years. The most important feature that distinguished Hadrian from other emperors was that he frequently visited the lands under his rule while governing Rome. Instead of managing the empire from the center, he preferred to see and solve the problems on the spot by traveling.

Hadrian's Gate opens to Kaleiçi's narrow streets adorned with bougainvillea flowers. It is one of the most vibrant spots in this area surrounded by walls. It is lively and crowded almost every hour of the day. In fact, there are many entrances of the historic area that goes down to the harbor, Yenikapı next to Karaalioğlu Park, Castle Gate, Hıdırlık Tower, Tophane slope.

The three arches of Hadrian's Gate are the same size, 4.15 meters wide and 6.18 meters high, and form a typical Roman triumphal arch. The entire structure has a height of more than 8 meters from the ancient pavement to the top of the entablature.

There are 2 towers on both sides of the door. The Julia Sancta Tower in the south is from the Hadrian period, while the lower part of the tower in the north is from ancient times and the upper parts were built during the Seljuk period. It looks like the Roman triumphal arch with its three-eyed entrance rising on four legs and its double-faced architecture decorated with columns.

The Gate has Latin inscriptions on it. Of the ornate marble columns in the Corinthian style and the statues of the emperor and his family on the Gate, only these inscriptions have survived to this day.

The historical monument, which is the most beautiful gate of the Pamphylia region, bears the traces of all civilizations that existed in this region at that time with its architectural elements. It is one of the must-see points in Antalya excursions.