Harbiye (

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

: ''Dàphne'', Δάφνη; in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

دفنه or ''Harbiyat'', حربيات) is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of

Defne Defne is a municipality and district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is 155 km2, and its population is 165,494 (2022). The district Defne was created in 2013 from parts of the former central district of Hatay and the district of Samanda� ...

Hatay Province Hatay Province (, ) is the southernmost province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is , and its population is 1,686,043 (2022). It is situated mostly outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its population is 27,057 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''

belde Belde (literally "town", also known as ''kasaba'') means "large village with a municipality" in Turkish language, Turkish. All Turkish province centers and district centers have municipalities, but the Villages of Turkey, villages are usually too ...

''). Also in 2013, it passed from the former central district of Hatay to the new district of Defne. Harbiye is predominantly populated by

Alawites Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...

Geography

Midtown Harbiye is about south of

Antakya Antakya (), Turkish form of Antioch, is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is . Prior to the devastating 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, 2023 earthquakes, its population was recorded ...

, the administrative center of

. It is situated in the valley of Asi (formerly known as Orontes) with an average altitude of .

History

Dàphne (Δάφνη in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

) was a resort port-town during

Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great ...

, famous for waterfalls, daphne laurels, and residence buildings. However, it was also famous for earthquakes; many ancients buildings were demolished during big earthquakes. Under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

aqueducts Aqueduct may refer to: Structures *Aqueduct (bridge), a bridge to convey water over an obstacle, such as a ravine or valley *Navigable aqueduct, or water bridge, a structure to carry navigable waterway canals over other rivers, valleys, railw ...

were built to connect the local springs to the city of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

and there were several villas in Daphne. Following the

First Jewish–Roman War The First Jewish–Roman War (66–74 CE), also known as the Great Jewish Revolt, the First Jewish Revolt, the War of Destruction, or the Jewish War, was the first of three major Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire. Fought in the prov ...

, the Roman

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

seized land which had previously held a synagogue, and, using funds taken from local Jewish people, built a theatre in its place. Vespasian announced this by placing a commemorative plaque at the location, which Israeli historican

Hayim Hillel Ben-Sasson Haim Hillel Ben-Sasson (; 1914 in Valozhyn – 16 May 1977 in Jerusalem) was an Israeli historian, a professor in the Department of Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His area of expertise was the history of Jews in the Middle ...

characterized as "an insult to injury". For many centuries, many

monastic communities Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

from different ethnicities settled in the region around

as for instance in Daphne. The Kastana monastery, dedicated to the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-beare ...

, was close to the Kastalia springs in Daphne. Ephrem Mtsire, a famous 11th century Georgian monk, theologian and translator of patristic literature, was hegumen of this monastery.

Economy

Harbiye's main economic activity is domestic tourism: hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops etc. The town is proud of the

Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...

mythology.Antakya TV page
/ref> There is also a minor silk industry. Many Harbiye residents commute to work in Antakya.

References

{{Authority control Seleucid colonies in Anatolia Roman towns and cities in Turkey Neighbourhoods in Defne District