ALANYA HISTORICAL PLACES

Alanya Castle and The Kızılkule Ethnography Museum
The castle has a castle wall of 6.5 km length, 140 towers, about 400 cisterns, doors with inscriptions and as an open air museum reflects Seljuk art at its best, showing the fascination of Seljuk art. The ramparts start from Kızkule, extend down from Ehmedek, İçkale, Adam Atacağı, Cilvarda Burnu, Arap Evliyası Rampart and Esat Rampart and pass through Tophane and Tersane and end at Kızılkule at the starting point.

The first construction the castle dates from the Hellenistic Period, but in fact the construction took its fascinating and monumental form during the Seljuk Empire. Seljuk Empire respected believers of different religions and their places of worship, and in this connection they are among the buildings requiring our protection. It dates from the Xth century judging from the architectural characteristics. Alaaddin Keykubat also erected some monumental buildings completing the castle. Kızılkule, one of the unique Seljuk works of art, is the symbol of Alanya with its plan and magnificent appearance adorning the castle. It was built in order to permanently keep the harbor under control. The diameter at the ground is 29 meters, its height is 33 meters. It has a hexagonal design. The architect of the tower built in 1226 is stated as Ebu Ali from Halep as understood from the inscription facing north. Later on, this place converted to the ethnography museum

Shipyard: The dockyard symbolising the first meeting of the Seljuks with the Mediterranean remains standing strong with its fascinating view and forms an ensemble with the castle. Seljuk had access to the Mediterranean through this harbor, which was the second marine base after the harbor in Sinop. The construction date is 1227.The building consists of five arched vaults and is 57 metres in length and 40 metres in depth. Tophane with two storey thought to be built for the security of the dockyard has a rectangular ground plan 14x12 meters in size. The building was erected during the reign of A. Keykubat.

Archaeological Museum: The museum has two sections where archaeological and ethnographical arts are exhibited and it was opened for visitors in 1967. For the opening of the museum, works of art from Ancient Bronze, Urartu, Frygian and Lydia Periods. Seljuki and Ottoman coins are also exhibited here in a separate archeology section. As for the ethnography section, Turko-islamic work of arts, socio-life style, traditional clothes, weaving, handicrafts, rugs, and saddlebags showing cultural characteristic of the region is exhibited. Moreover, bronze, marble, earthenware and mosaics from Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic period are being exhibited in the garden of museum...