Harbiye (Daphne), Antakya

Overview

Just south of Antakya, water runs down through laurel and plane trees in a string of small falls. This is Harbiye, the ancient Daphne.

The Story of Harbiye

The place takes its old name from the legend of Apollo and the nymph Daphne, who turned into a laurel tree to escape him. In the Seleucid period, Daphne was the resort of Antioch, with waterfalls, villas, temples and a stadium that hosted games in the Olympic style. Strong earthquakes later destroyed the town, and no clearly visible remains survive.

The Picnic Gardens Today

Today, Harbiye is a green area of picnic gardens and tea places along the water. Families from Antakya come here on warm afternoons. For the mosaics of the old villas of Antioch, see our page on the Hatay Archaeology Museum.

Daphne’s Tears in Harbiye

Local belief holds that Daphne’s tears still feed the waterfalls of Harbiye. In the legend, Apollo first saw the nymph by a river and chased her. So she called on Mother Earth for help and became a laurel tree. Then Apollo took the laurel as his sacred tree, and he crowned heroes and victors with its leaves. Also, the Turkish word for laurel is defne, and Harbiye today lies in the district of Defne.

Back then, the resort served Antioch, which Seleucus I founded in 300 BC. Then, under Rome, Antioch grew into the third-largest city of the empire by population, after Rome and Alexandria.

Where Are the Mosaics of Daphne?

Between 1932 and 1939, Princeton University and its partners dug at Antakya, Harbiye and Seleucia Pieria. Then their work uncovered the floor mosaics that now form the heart of the Hatay Archaeology Museum’s collection. However, the finds of those years also went abroad. Today they still sit in about 20 museums and private collections, among them the Princeton University Art Museum, the Worcester Art Museum and the Louvre. The museum building in Antakya is closed while restorers work on it in stages, so ask us to confirm before you plan a visit.

Lunch After Harbiye

Since 2017, Hatay has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for gastronomy. So, after the falls, plan a long meal in town or at one of the tea gardens by the water. Then, for dessert, order künefe, because Antakya Künefesi became a registered Turkish geographical indication in 2008.

Would you like to see Antakya and its surroundings with a guide who follows how the city is rebuilding? Harbiye’s picnic gardens are made for lunch; pick your day and we will plan the drive up from Antakya. See our Antakya tour, our drivers and our Hatay guide.