Hatay is a province in the southern part of Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast. Hatay is bordered by Syria on the south and east. The city has a mixed population of Turks and Arabs.

In ancient times it was called Antioch. It joined Turkey in 1939. From 1938 to 1939, the city was an independent Arab emirate known as Hatay State. It then became a part of Turkey which caused protests by the Arab majority in the city however the protests were later shut down. Currently, the city has a mixed population of Turks and Arabs and both of these groups follow Sunni Islam.