Alanya Castlevisitor guide.

THE APPLE OF ANCIENT MARINERS' EYE: HOME TO MANY CIVILIZATIONS Well-preserved thanks to its hard-to-reach and sheltered structure, this site has endured since the Hellenistic period. An open-air museum hosting Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman civilizations. THE PIRATES' HUB... In the words of the famed historian Strabo, Alanya was the first city encountered when entering Cilicia from the west. Built on an exceedingly steep, formidable rock with a protected harbor, it became a haven for pirates starting in the 2nd century BC. It passed into Roman hands when Pompey won the Battle of Coracesium. The expansion of the castle walls and the addition of new structures date to this era. Known during the Byzantine era as Kalonoros ('Beautiful Mountain') and serving as one of the Mediterranean's busiest ports, Alanya was taken in 1221 by the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I. The castle and city were renamed 'Alaiye', the fortifications were reinforced, and new walls and cisterns were built. SUMMARIZING ANATOLIAN HISTORY The shipyard—the Seljuks' second after Sinop, which earned Keykubat the title 'Sultan of the Two Seas'—along with iconic Alanya landmarks such as the octagonal Kızılkule (Red Tower), Tophane (the armory), and the Citadel (İçkale) Palace Complex were constructed during this period. The Süleymaniye Mosque in the Upper Castle, the bedesten (covered bazaar), the arasta, and traditional Alanya houses were added during the Ottoman period. Rising on the Mediterranean coast with its six-and-a-half-kilometer ramparts, 140 towers, and countless cisterns, some of which are still usable, Alanya Castle is an open-air museum that virtually encapsulates the history of Anatolia. The cloverleaf-plan Byzantine chapel and the machicolations used for pouring boiling pitch onto enemies are also notable features of the fortress. WHILE YOU ARE HERE… You can stop by the Alanya markets to buy an array of exotic fruits and vegetables, including dragon fruit. In addition, Konak Dondurma, one of the city's celebrated ice cream parlors, is a must-visit spot, especially for its scorched-milk (yanık süt) ice cream. DOWNLOAD MUSEUM BROCHURE NEARBY MUSEUMS OLYMPOS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE PATARA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE ALANYA ATATÜRK HOUSE MUSEUM SAINT NICHOLAS MEMORIAL MUSEUM ANTALYA MUSEUM PHASELIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE