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Castle Of Alanya
High above the rest of the city is the old
castle. It is located approximately 250 metres
above sea level and so the views from there
are breathtaking. It is
difficult to confirm the exact foundation date
of the castle but contributions from the
Romans, Byzantines and Seljuks are there to be
seen. However the biggest influence on the
size and shape of the castle can be ascribed
to the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat.
A
6km town wall with 140 watch towers winds
around the castle. It made it almost
impossible for would-be attackers to go
undiscovered. On the way up the winding and
sometimes very steep road you will find small
cafes and cosy restaurants.
Near the sultan palace you can visit a
church/mosque which is a very important relic
of the Christian and Islamic heritage of the
town.
The Red Tower (Alanya)
After battling for five years, Sultan Alaaddin
Keykubat finally conquered Alanya and had The
Red Tower built primarily to defend the town`s
shipyard. The Red Tower is one the town`s main
attractions and landmarks.
The octagonal (eight sided) tower was
finished in 1226 and is 33 metres high with
five floors. The lowest floor these days often
houses exhibitions, for example historical
collections of fabrics, work tools, weapons or
other items from the Seljuk and Ottoman
periods.
Characteristic of the Red Tower are the oblong
embrasures, which can be seen on all sides of
the tower. Soldiers in the tower could defend
themselves without being hit and, if attackers
approached too closely, boiling water or other
unpleasant substances could be poured out
through the small openings.
Alanya Shipyard
The shipyard, consisting of five docks and
constructed in 1226 by the Sultan Alaaddin
Keykubat, is 56 metres long and 44 metres
deep. The entrance to the shipyard is behind
the Red Tower. The shipyard also contains
offices and a little mosque located on the
left of the entrance.
At night all these buildings are illuminated
creating a fantastic sight.
The shipyard can be visited at closer
quarters by renting a small fishing boat. A
trip around the rocky peninsula, where you can
see the shipyard, the lovers cave, the pirates
cave and the phosphorous cave, costs
approximately 10 euros.
Damlatas Cave (Alanya)
During blasting work for the construction of
Alanya Harbour in 1948, engineers found the
Damlatas cave. Today the cave is one of the
town's most popular attractions. The cave has
a constant temperature of 22-23 degrees
Celsius and humidity level of more than 90 %.
There are also stalagmites and stalactites
which are several thousand years old. The
climate in the cave is said to be therapeutic
for those with respiratory problems,
especially asthma sufferers. Doctors can
prescribe visits to the cave and time is
reserved every morning for their patients.
Alanya Museum
The historical museum of Alanya is divided
into two sections; ethnographical and
archeological. In the
ethnographical section coins from the Lydian,
Roman and Ottoman periods are displayed.
Taking pride of place in this area is a statue
in bronze of the hero Hercules from Greek
mythology. The statue
was originally discovered 35 kilometres from
Alanya and attempts were made to smuggle it
out of Turkey. This was prevented at the last
moment and the 51.5 cm high statue of fine
bronze can therefore be seen at the museum
today.
The ethnographical section also houses several
pots found in the sea. It is possible to see
how houses were furnished in the past and
there is a fine collection of weapons, woven
carpets, old Korans, articles of clothing and
even a beautifully decorated library.
The archeological section of the museum is
outdoors and just as interesting as the
ethnographical section. It is laid out as a
large garden with flowers and animals.
In the garden there are examples of different
graveyards from the Greek, Roman, Seljuk and
Ottoman periods.
Furthermore it is possible to see how the
production of olive oil took place in the
past.
Dim Cave (10 km from Alanya)
Not far from Alanya is one of Turkey's largest
caves open to the public. The total length of
the cave is nearly 400 metres and the highest
point is approximately 230 metres above sea
level. After entering,
a large 310 metre cavern opens up on your left
and to the right there is a smaller but no
less interesting cave.
The Dim Cave is equipped with ingeniously
constructed footbridges that allow you to move
around without destroying the numerous fragile
stalagmites throughout the cave. At the far
end of the cave there is a little lake.
Dim
River - "Dim Cay" (8 km from
Alanya)
The Dim River
flows from the highlands in Konya about 200
kilometres southwards before it meets the
Mediterranean Sea east of Alanya. The river
played an important role in the economical
development of Alanya in the forties when many
banana fields where established, as it was
with water from the Dim River that the fields
were irrigated.
Even today when
farming and banana growing is no longer the
main industry in Alanya, the river is still
important for the town. Many restaurants are
to be found along the riverside and they are
almost situated in the river. In the
summertime when the water level is low the
tables are placed in the water and thus it is
possible to cool your feet in the chilly water
while eating. Every restaurant at Dim River
breeds trout which are served freshly caught.
Especially in the very warm summer
months, when the temperature reaches 40
degrees the river with its many pleasant
cheerful restaurants is a popular place – not
only for tourists but also for the locals who
do not like to sunbathe at the beach.
Approximately 5
kilometres from the mouth of the river the
government is constructing a large dam which
is scheduled to be finished in 2005. The dam
will not only supply Alanya with drinking
water but will also solve the problem of the
insufficient and unstable supply of
electricity.
Ancient Towns
There are many ancient towns in this part of
Turkey: Side, Syedra, Aspendos, Colyabrassos,
Perge, Alarhan, Iotap, Termessos, Laertes etc.
A
lot of these ancient towns
are neither fully
excavated nor explored. The reason for this is
lack of qualified personnel and finances,
but they are all well worth a visit.
The Ancient Town Syedra
(20 km from Alanya)
The ancient town of Syedra is found among
banana fields located near the main road to
southern Turkey. Like most ancient towns on
the south coast it is divided into two parts -
the harbour area from where all supplies were
transported into the countryside and the inner
city. In the inner city the population lived
well protected by the thick city walls and the
soldiers of the city.
There is a fantastic view over the whole area
and when the weather is good it is actually
possible to see all the way to Alanya.
However the town walls and the fascinating
aqueducts which lead to the water cisterns
give a good impression of ancient Syedra and
are well worth a visit.
The Ancient Town Side (65 km
from Alanya)
Situated between
the airport and Alanya is the small town of
Side which dates back to the year 600 BC. At
that time the town and its long sand beaches
were the hide-out for pirates and slave
traders.
Today Side is the
newest of the tourist towns in the Antalya
region. Side's biggest tourist attractions are
the old Roman theatre and the Temple of
Apollo. The theatre was built out in the open
which is the opposite to most other ancient
theatres which were built into the hillside.
From the upper seats you therefore have a
fantastic view over the ocean, the town and
other Roman remains.
Aspendos Roman Theatre
(75 km from Alanya)
International Opera & Ballet Festival
Aspendos theatre built in 24 AD, is one of the
worlds best preserved amphitheatres. There is
seating for 15,000 spectators and the theatre
is renowned for its perfect acoustics. Even
now, after almost 2000 years, the acoustics
are so good that a person talking normally in
one part of the theatre can be distinctly
heard elsewhere in the theatre even in the
galleries. The theatre
is often used for wrestling contests, concerts
and dance shows. All
performances are held in the Ancient Theatre
at Aspendos and begin at 9:30 p.m.
Pamukkale
(350 km from Alanya)
Translated into
English, Pamukkale means cotton castle. When
you see this magnificent natural phenomenon,
there is no doubt about why. The warm
limestone-laden water gushes down a 100 metre
high rock face, forming small white terraces,
stalactites and pools.
This is definitely one of Turkey's most
popular excursions with about 20,000 visitors
a day. Here, you can
swim in the thermal baths,
the water of which is reputed to be beneficial
and alleviate the symptons of various skin
diseases.
The Cleopatra
pool is very special. You can swim in the
crystal clear water while looking at the
remains of 2000 year old columns from
Cleopatra's era lying on the bottom of the
pool.
Capadoccia
(450 km from Alanya)
The distinctive landscape of Cappadocia has
for many many years attracted and surprised
visitors from all over the world. Here you can
see caves, cave houses, churches as well as
whole underground villages. The underground
villages must be visited. There are about 20
villages which were established around 200AD.
There are as many as 10 levels underground.
This landscape was created many millions of
years ago at the time when the two volcanic
mountains covered a vast area with lava and
dust. Years of wind, rain and floods has
created the most spectacular formations and
figures which we are able to see and admire
today.
Quite early on the inhabitants of this area
discovered the dust was very fertile in and
also that it was possible to carve this stone
material. They therefore, over generations,
made caves and storerooms in these rock
formations and for this reason it has become
one of Turkey's most distinctive sights.
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