Alanya Castle
Historical Information:
Surrounded by walls of 6 km length and situated on 10 hectares of the peninsula, The Castle of Alanya hosted Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations.
The history of its establishment and by whom it was founded is unknown, but the geographer Scylax from 4th century BC mentioned Alanya as Coracesium at first. Strabon defined Coracesium as the first apparent city if travelled from west to Cilicia and specified its location as being on a very steep rock formation.
Coracesium, as a result of its defendable nature and its sheltered port, ideal for pirates and rebels, became a pirate harbour and a centre of piracy in 2nd century BC, even with the presence of a small military. The Hellenistic wall with a large block stone and mortar which spans from Arap Evliyası to Ehmedek, found in the part of Middle Castle (Orta Kale), dates back to the period of Diototos Tryhon, who was the ruler of the city in 2nd century BC.
In 65 BC, the pirate dominance ended with the Coracesium war, which resulted in the victory of the Roman Pompeius. The city in Roman times grew with the expansion of its walls and the addition of new buildings. In this period, coins were created in the name of the emperors. Samples of these coins can be seen in Alanya Museum.
With the name of Kalonoros (the beautiful mountain), Alanya Castle in Byzantine times became a locating point for sailors and the busiest port of the Mediterranean. The Church in the castle (İçkale), Arap Evliyası, ruins of the monastery at Cilvarda point and the remains of the round – towered wall which spans from the Middle Fortress (Orta Hisar) to the castle (İçkale), date back to the Byzantine period.
In 1221, Kalonoros was taken over by Alaeddin Keyqubad I, Anatolian Seljuk Sultan, from Kyr Vart, the former owner of the castle and its name was changed to Alaiye. Alaeddin Keyqubad I began various construction projects, reinforced old walls, built new walls and started the golden age of Alanya. Today’s existing walls, large cisterns, the shipyard, the Red Tower, the Cannon House, Akşebe tomb and the palace complex in the castle (İçkale) are some of the works built by Alaeddin. Ehmedek, Akşebe Small Mosque, Andızlı Mosque, the Seljuk Baths and the Lower Castle (Asagi Kale) Baths were constructed during the reign of the Seljuk’s.
By conquering Alanya, the Anatolian Seljuk Sultanate gained a strong castle in the coast of the Mediterranean as well as a strong foundation in both the sea and the land. Alaiye also reached a specific status in developing internal, external and transit trade.
Alaiye in the first half of the 14th century was among the most important cities of Anatolia and the Mediterranean. It had an important naval base, and it was a leading commercial city as well as a centre of trade and shipbuilding under the Anatolian Seljuks by having strong relations with Egypt and Syria. Egyptian merchants came looking for famous cedars used in the construction of ships, as well as, Genoese, Venetian and Florentine merchants who bought spices, canvas and sugar. Pegolotti in his book “practura della mercatura” introduced a table for weights and measurements used in Alanya, comparing them with the ones used in Italy. Egyptian and Syrian merchants were traveling to the Black Sea ports via Alanya.
Alaiye fell to the Kingdom of Cyprus for a short period of time after the collapse of the Seljuk Sultanate (1293) and then came under the dominance of the Ottomans after periods of Karaman and Alaiye principality rule (1471). Süleymaniye Mosque, covered market with the Ottoman bazaar at the Upper Castle (Yukari Kale) and the traditional Alanya houses are monuments of the Ottoman period.
Alaiye in the Republican period took its name at the request of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who visited the city.
Many local and foreign travellers talked about Alanya Castle. In 1332, Ibn-i Batuta stated export of timber to Alexandria, Damietta and Egyptian cities. In the 1650s, Katip Çelebi compared Alanya Castle with the Baghdad Castle with regard to its magnificence and noted the growing of cotton, silk and sesame. Also, in 1671 Evliya Çelebi stated that there were three hundreds houses, the Süleymaniye Mosque and the small Akşebe Mosque, a cistern and houses without patios at the Middle Fortress (Orta Hisar); two madrasas, six schools, three khans, one bath, one fountain and one hundred and fifty shops at the Lower Castle (Asagi Kale), noting that all streets had steps and access was provided by mules and donkeys.
Setton Llyod in his Ala’iyye book separated Alanya Castle into five (5) regions by the segmentation of its walls. The first region has the shape of a crescent, whose one end is the Red Tower and the other is the shipyard; second is the lower pitched part of the hill above the first region; third is the region of Ehmedek and the area that extends to the Inner Castle (İçkale); fourth region is the Inner Castle (İçkale) and the fifth region is the area that encompasses the Cilvarda Point.
How Can I Go?:
Public Transportation:
There is a minibus stop on the seaside of the main road. An Alanya bus passes every 10 minutes. You can get off at the last stop or ask the minibus driver to drop you off at the closest point to your destination.
Extra Information:
It is possible to use the cable car for Alanya Castle. For price and detailed information, you can visit the website of ALANYA TELEFERİK A.Ş. The cable car operates from 09:30 to 23:00
