Iskenderun, formerly Alexandretta, city in southern Turkey, located in Hatay Province, near Antakya. Iskenderun is situated at the head of the Gulf of Iskenderun (Gulf of Alexandretta), an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, and is one of Turkey's principal Mediterranean seaports. The city is a trade center for a region producing grains, tobacco, and fruits; it is also home to a steel plant and is the terminus of an oil pipeline. A resort center, Iskenderun is linked by road, rail, and air to other Turkish cities. The city lies near the site of Alexandria ad Issum, founded by Alexander the Great in 333 BC to commemorate his victory over the Persians. Traditionally, Iskenderun was an outlet for trade between Persia and India, and the chief port for the Ottoman province of Halab (Aleppo) and other points in northern Syria. The city was under Turkish rule for six centuries. After World War I (1914-1918) it was included in French-mandated Syria and then served as the capital of the autonomous sanjak (administrative district) of Alexandretta in 1937 and 1938. The city grew substantially after it returned to Turkish administration in 1939. Population 154,807 (1990).