REYHANLI

                                                               Population: 90,000

Market day: Saturday

The small Hatay town of Reyhanlı was never a great beauty but did at least in the past have an important function as the closest town to Turkey's busiest border crossing into Syria. Now that war has brought that function to an end there's no reason why you would want to come here, the closest thing to an attraction being a new clocktower in the town centre that commemorates the terrible day in May 2013 when two car bombs exploded, killing around 50 people and injuring hundreds more. It was the most lethal bomb attack ever to hit Turkey. 

If for any reason you do decide to come this way you  might like to know that Tell Atchana (the ancient Alalakh), on the right-hand side of the road, as you approach from Antakya is being turned into an archaeopark. It was once the capital of the Kingdom of Mukish c 2000 BC. The finds from the site are on display in the Hatay Archaeological Museum in Antakya. 

Those who've been to the Zeugma Museum in Gaziantep will be amused to see one of the same model camel trains as stands there on the main road heading into Reyhanlı. 

Transport info

Minibuses travel between Antakya's Köy Garaj and Reyhanlı high street every 10 minutes or so doing the main part of the day.