SamandaÄŸ

Template: Infobox city in Turkey / Maintenance / County

Samandağ is a town in the Turkish province of Hatay and is about 25 km south-west of Antakya, near the border with Syria. At the same time Samandağ capital of the district of the same name. The city had 2008 43.528 inhabitants, the county 129 011, of which a majority are Alawite and Sunni Arabs.

The ancient name of Seleucia Pieria was Samandağs, the port of Antioch. The Crusaders called the city of St. Simeon. Other names were Jabal Sam'an, Alevışık and Suwaidiyyah. The present name was given Samandağ 1948., The Turkish name is the translation of the Arabic name Jabal Sam'an (Mountain of Simeon ). In the district Samandağ is the last Armenian village in Turkey Vakifli.

Attractions

About six kilometers east of the city is on a hill, the monastery of Symeon Stylites the Younger. In the village there are Cevlik of Titus Vespasian tunnel, a long over a kilometer water channel, ancient city remains, a necropolis dating back to Roman times and remains of sculptures. In August, it can be observed here, the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta ). In the village Hidirbey is supposedly 3000 years old Moses - tree, it has a diameter of up to 7.5 meters, a circumference of 20 m and a height of 17 m. According to legend, Moses is said to have stabbed his cane in his meeting with the Prophet Hızır into the earth, who had then immediately scheduled shoots.