Serik is a town and district in

Antalya Province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visit ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, east of the city of

Antalya Antalya () is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, fifth-most populous city in Turkey as well as the capital of Antalya Province. Located on Anatolia's southwest coast bordered by the Taurus Mountains, Antalya is the largest Turkish cit ...

, along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

coast.

Geography

Towards the coast the district is mainly flat farmland, used for growing vegetables, while the inland half of Serik is forested hills and the

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir ...

. The district has a typical Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters, and the natural vegetation is dry shrubs. Serik itself is a town of 56,824 people as for 2012. The city of Antalya is nearby limiting the potential for retailing and commerce in Serik, but there is some light industry. There is a well-known

köfte Kofta is a family of meatball or meatloaf dishes found in Balkan, Middle Eastern, South Caucasian, South Asian and Central Asian cuisines. In the simplest form, koftas consist of balls of minced meatusually beef, chicken, pork, lamb or mut ...

and

piyaz Piyaz ( tr, piyaz, Persian: پیاز, Kurdish: pivaz, piyaz for "onion" or salad) is a kind of Turkish cuisine, Turkish cuisine and Persian salad or meze that is made from any kind of dry beans with onion, parsley and sumac. The name of Piyaz ...

restaurant in the town centre; the piyaz is served with a sesame (

tahini Tahini () or tahina (, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself (as a dip) or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and E ...

) sauce. Although wealthy and only 15 km from the wild amenities on the coast, the people of Serik are typically welcoming and traditional in outlook. The population includes many who still identify themselves as Yörük or

Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...

, descendants of the nomadic people that populated the area during the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and before. These are close-knit communities shunning outside influence and new immigration, prompting some

Turkish people The Turkish people, or simply the Turks ( tr, Türkler), are the world's largest Turkic ethnic group; they speak various dialects of the Turkish language and form a majority in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. In addition, centuries-old ethnic ...

to give it the nickname ''Capital of a Yörük Republic'', an echo of the vivaciously preserved traditions and lifestyle. Although the district has seen a large influx of migrant workers in agriculture and tourism most business in the town is still very much in the hands of these original Turkmen people. They defend their interests fervently and Serik municipality is controlled by the Turkish nationalist

Nationalist Movement Party The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has been ...

(''MHP'').

Tourism

With of coastline including the busy resort town of Belek the district of Serik is a major centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30 million visitors each year. Belek has over fifty 5 star hotels and golf courses. Places of interest include the ruins of Sillyon and

Aspendos Aspendos or Aspendus ( Pamphylian: ΕΣΤϜΕΔΥΣ; Attic: Ἄσπενδος) was an ancient Greco-Roman city in Antalya province of Turkey. The site is located 40 km east of the modern city of Antalya. It was situated on the Eurymedon ...

, the cave of ''Zeytinlitaş'' and ''Uçansu'' waterfall. The

2015 G20 Antalya summit The 2015 G20 Antalya summit was the tenth annual meeting of the G20 heads of government/heads of state. It was held in Belek, Antalya Province, Turkey on 15–16 November 2015. The venue for the Leaders Summit was Regnum Carya Hotel Convention Ce ...

was held in Serik,

Agriculture

Many fruits and vegetables are grown in the region, especially bananas. Blueberries are among the important agricultural products of Serik.

Villages and towns

History

Two important cities here in antiquity were Sillion, a colony of the Kingdom of Pergamon, and

, one of the most important Greek Pamphylian cities. Aspendos is situated on the point where the Kopru River meets the sea. Once an important port and a commercial centre, it had a reputation for raising the best horses on earth. The odeon, basilica, galleria and fountains are worth seeing. The area was named Serik after a Turkish tribe that settled here, one of many waves of Turkish settlers attracted to this coast throughout history.

References

External links

Kadriye.info
Turkey's Premier Golf Resort with Beach Park in Serik, Antalya
Information on Serik

Serik-Belek-Kadriye NetGuide
{{Authority control Antalya Towns in Turkey Populated places in Antalya Province Serik District Districts of Antalya Province