With its vast beaches, historic sites, the innumerable fish restaurants of its modern hotel and motels and its cafes and bars, Alanya, is an outstanding holiday getaway. The first thing that greets the visitor is the 13th century Seljuk Castle,which sits like a crown atop of Alanya Peninsula. Besides the impressive castle, there is the shipyard and the Red Tower (Kızıl Kule) with monumental beauty. All along the road which runs beside the port are latenight cafes and bars and boutiques selling handicrafts, leather clothing, jewelry, handbags and local gourds painted with extraordinary colors. If you like to explore caves, then you must see Damlataş Cave.
Near the cave is the Ethnography Museum. By boat you can reach three other caves: the Phosphorous Cave with its phosphoric rocks, Girls Cave (Kızlar Cave), where pirates held their women prisoners, and Lovers Cave (Aşıklar Cave). The cool shade of Dim Brook Valley, 15 km east of Alanya, is an ideal place to get away and relax. The sea all around Alanya is excellent for swimming. Alanya is a paradise of sun, sea and sand.
Kızıl Kule (Red Tower)-The Shipyard
Regarded as the most attractive architectural structure of Alanya and almost a symbol of the town , Kyzyl Kule was commissioned by Alaeddin Keykubat , the Seljukid Sultan in 1226, and called Kızıl Kule for the red (Turkish : kızıl) bricks used in the construction. Kızıl Kule is 33 m. High having an octagonal plan with five storeys.
The bottom floor of the tower, where one pays an entrance fee, is used as an annex of Alanya Museum for exhibition of ethnographic works of art. You can see costumes of the Ottoman period, hand-woven textiles of the region and looms where these handicrafts were produced among the works of art exhibited. leaving the tower behind, follow the pathway by the walls for a further 200 m after going down the stairs; you will reach the shipyard, again built during Sultan Keykubat’s period. The shipyard was built two years after the tower and is the only remaining shipyard from the Seljuks. It has five docks each of 7 m. Widht and 43 m. Depth all opening to the sea.
Alanya Castle
After Kızıl Kule and the Shipyard, Alanya Castle follows as part of the tour. It takes 45 minute walk to climb up the castle.
Don’t miss to see Arap Evliyası which was built as a church in the 11th century and then converted into a mosque; the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Bedesten (market place) beside the mosque, resored and now used as a restaurant,bar and hotel, Ehmendek where the commander of the castle resided, little houses of Alanya remaining from the Seljuks and the Ottomans, Akşebe Sultan Masjid and Tomb. You can then go up the Inner Castle. Entrance to the Inner Castle is charged. The entrance gate opens to the large courtyard where on the left side you will see the big cistern vaulted with red bricks on the top. This cistern is the biggest of 400 cisterns existing on various parts of the castle and is still in use. One of the most important works of art present in the inner castle is the Byzantine Church (Aya Yorgi), once used as a Masjid during the Seljuks’s period, standing in quite strong and good condition.
Damlataş Cave
After the Castle tour , the second route climbing down leads you to the entrance door of Damlata? Cave which lies to the west of the peninsula. The Damlataş beach is also named after this cave.
Adorned with alluring stalactites and stalagmites of various colours, the cave has a constant temperature of 22-23 degrees Celsius. It is said that the atmosphere of the cave has a healing effect on asthma except the allergic type and rheumatism with a humidity of 90-100 % and very high rate of carbon containing some radioactivity.
The section where stalactites and stalagmites are seen is a cavity of 13-14 m. Width and 15 m. Height. Tours to the cave are scheduled in two different types: Sight seeing as well as health tours.