The Place of Antalya Port in Anatolian Port Traffic and Maritime Trade in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century

Antalya was one of the gates of Anatolia to the world during Byzantine Empire, Seljuk State and the classical ages of the Ottoman Empire and way port for merchants and merchant ships. Since the 16th century, the importance of Antalya had gradually decreased. Various commercial centers and ports on the coasts line of Anatolia and the Eastern Mediterranean rose with the increase in sea and land transportation. Although Antalya's trade capacity and opportunities developed in the 19th century, it did not catch its old days again. Agriculture in Antalya was not fully commercialized and Antalya's transportation facilities to connect with the inner parts of Anatolia could not gain a modern character. Contrary to the port cities where commerce comes to the fore, the lack of railway and road connections reaching the port and the inability to capitalist agriculture in large farms took their place among the challenges facing Antalya. For these reasons, the position of Antalya remained insignificant and uninspiring compared to other Anatolian ports and trade centers during the last period of the Ottoman Empire. In this paper, the place and role of Antalya and Antalya Port in the Anatolian trade in the late Ottoman Empire will be explained. In the light of various statistics, annuals, reports and research and examination, the situation of Ottoman trade in general, the position of Anatolian port cities in this commercial life and the share of Antalya in this trade will be investigated. Thus, all this data will help to explain the situation of Antalya Port in the Ottoman trade and economic structure through figures and reasons.