Akseki

Akseki is a municipality and district of Antalya Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,544 km2, and its population is 10,477 (2022). Known for its snowdrops, Akseki is located in the western Taurus Mountains at an elevation of 1100m. The Manavgat River passes through a large valley in the centre of the district, which is otherwise mainly mountainous. Places of interest include caves, valleys and a number of high meadows. This windswept rocky mountainside is not good farmland and the local economy mostly depends on forestry and raising sheep and cattle. Many people from Akseki have migrated to Antalya but still have homes here as an escape from the summer heat on the coast. The people of Akseki have a reputation as canny traders, and some prominent businessman were brought up here including restaurateur and fruit-juice producer Ömer Duruk. Akseki was formerly Byzantine town of Marla, Marulya, or Marulia. It was conquered by the Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman Empire along with other towns in the area. Antalya's Akdeniz University has a branch here training nurses, and doing some other vocational training. With its rich architectural heritage, Akseki is a member of the Norwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions. The country boasts an economy based on cattle and almond trade.