Turkey: Antioch on the Orontes (Antakya)

Modern city of Antakya near the Turkish-Syrian border preserves the name and location of ancient Syrian Antioch
This 13th century facade marks the entrance to a cave believed to have been used by the first-century Christian church at Antioch
This row of windows looking out from a cavern, in the rock face of a hill overlooking the town of modern Antakya, Turkey, has been associated with the meeting place of the earliest group of Christians

This cave was believed to have been a meeting place for the earliest Christian church at Antioch
Altar at Antioch
Altar at Antioch
A modern statue of Peter sits in a niche above the altar

Beautiful Roman-era Mosaics, now in the Antioch Archaeological Museum
Beautiful Roman-era Mosaic, now in the Antioch Archaeological Museum
Antioch's importance as a commercial center can largely be attributed to the Orontes river, which connected the city with the port of Seleucia on the Mediterranean coast

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