Kepez is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Antalya

Antalya

Antalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. Antalya is one of the 16 metropolitan centers in Turkey

Metropolitan centers in Turkey

This is a list of Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey. There are 81 provinces in Turkey . Among the 81 provincial centers 16 of them are called metropolitan municipalities . Within city borders of the metropolitan municipalities, there are more than one district governorate. where each...

 with more than one municipality within city borders. In Antalya there are five intracity municipalities in addition of Greater Antalya (büyükşehir) municipality.

Geography

Kepez at about 36°55′N 30°41′E is a part of Greater Antalya proper. The name Kepez means rocky areareferring to original (before urbanization) Kepez landscape which consisted of rocky plateau. The urban population as of 2010 was 399,006 out of 1,001,318 total population of Greater Antalya.

History

Kepez, like the rest of Greater Antalya was wrested between the Seljuk Turks and the Byzantines

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...

 during the 11th and 12th centuries. After 1216, Kepez was incorporated into Seljuk realm. After the disintegration of Seljuks the area was a part of the Turkmen beylik of Teke

Beylik of Teke

The Anatolian beylik of Teke with its capital at Antalya was one of the frontier principalities established by Oghuz Turkish clans after the decline of Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. The dynasty started with a split of territories between two brothers of the dynasty ruling the neighboring Beylik of...

. In 1389, the city was captured by the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

. After the defeat of Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara

Battle of Ankara

The Battle of Ankara or Battle of Angora, fought on July 20, 1402, took place at the field of Çubuk between the forces of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I and the Turko-Mongol forces of Timur, ruler of the Timurid Empire. The battle was a major victory for Timur, and it led to a period of crisis for...

 in 1402, Kepez area was annexed by Karamanids, another Turkmen principality up to 1415. During this brief period a Turkmen tribe named Varsak was settled around Kepez. After 1415 Antalya area became an Ottoman territory. During the Republican era the scattered population around Kepez increased. After Antalya was declared as the metropolitan center, Kepez municipality was incorporated into Greater Antalya in 1993 and the corresponding district governorate was established in 2008.

Kepez today

Antalya bus terminal and a cement factory as well as a hydroeletric plant are in Kepez. Although not a seaside district, nevertheless in Kepez there are a number of touristic attractions like Düden Waterfalls

Düden Waterfalls

Düden Waterfalls are a group of waterfalls in the province of Antalya, Turkey. The waterfall, formed by the Düden River , is located 12 km north-east of Antalya; which ends, where the limpid waters of the Lower Düden Falls drop off a rocky cliff directly into the Mediterranean Sea in a...

and zoo of Antalya. On several locations (like Kepezüstü) the tourists can enjoy the scenery of Antalya.