Alanya is a beautiful coastal town in Turkey. It is famous for its history, natural sights, and lively culture. This makes it a great place for people from all over the world to visit. Alanya has beautiful beaches, a big old castle, and lovely views. There are many things to see and do. If you like history, you can visit old ruins. If you love nature, you can enjoy the beautiful views. If you just want to relax, you can spend time on the clean sandy beaches. Alanya is a place where everyone can have a good time and make great memories.
Red Tower
The Red Tower is in Alanya harbor. It is shaped like an octagon and is a famous symbol of the city, built in the 13th century during the Seljuk period. The Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I ordered its construction in 1226 and chose Abu Ali Reha el Kettani from Aleppo, who also built the Sinop Castle, to be its main architect.
Because lifting heavy stones became too difficult after reaching a certain height, the builders decided to use baked red bricks for the upper parts of the tower, which is why it's called KΔ±zΔ±lkule, meaning Red Tower in English. You can also see ancient marble blocks in the tower walls. The tower is designed to be octagonal; it is 12.5 meters wide for each side, 33 meters tall, and 29 meters in diameter. It has a total of five floors, including the ground floor. A tall stone staircase with 85 steps leads to the top. The way sunlight enters the building makes the top look like the first floor. In the middle of the tower, there's a big water tank.
Shipyard
The Alanya ShipyardΒ is an old historical site in Alanya from the time of the Seljuks. The shipyard's construction began in 1228 near KΔ±zΔ±lkule, six years after the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I conquered the city, and it was finished in a year. It has five arches, a front side facing the sea that is 56.5 meters long, and it goes back 44 meters. They picked the spot for the shipyard to get as much sunlight as possible. The main gate has Sultan Keykubat's symbol and is decorated with flower designs.
This shipyard was the first one the Seljuks built in the Mediterranean Sea. After building the Sinop Shipyard on the Black Sea, Alaaddin Keykubat earned the nickname "sultan of two seas" with this Alanya Shipyard. Inside, there's a small mosque on one side and a room for guards on the other. One of the arches has a well that was later covered up. People can visit the shipyard for free, either by boat from the sea or by walking from the city walls near KΔ±zΔ±lkule.
Damlatas Cave
The DamlataΕ Cave in Alanya's center was found in 1948 while making a quarry for stones for harbor building. It's on the west side of the old Alanya Peninsula. The cave starts with a 50-meter-long passage. After this, there's a big round space 15 meters high. From there, you go down to the cave's bottom. The cave has stalactites and stalagmites inside crystallized limestone, and it took 15 thousand years for them to form. The cave got its name, DamlataΕ, because water keeps dripping from the stalactites.
Apart from its stunning looks, DamlataΕ Cave is also known for its air that helps people with asthma.Β The cave's air stays the same in summer and winter, with a temperature of 22Β°C, 95 percent humidity, and stable pressure at 760 mm. The air has 71 percent nitrogen, 20.5 percent oxygen, a tiny bit of carbon dioxide (2.5 in ten thousand), and some radioactivity and ions.
Alanya Archaeological Museum
The Alanya Archaeological Museum opened in 1967. It started with old items from the Bronze Age and other historical periods, which were initially in the Ankara Museum. It also had things found nearby. Over time, more items were added from local digs or other sources. The museum has two main parts: one for archaeology and another for cultural history. The oldest thing on display is a stone with writing in Phoenician from 625 BC. The most famous item is a statue of Heracles, a character with an interesting story from myths. This bronze statue of Heracles from the 2nd century AD is shown in its own special room.
Alanya Cable Car
The Alanya Cable Car is a new way to see Alanya Castle and its old sites. It got a lot of people interested because you can see DamlataΕ and Cleopatra Beaches from it. The ride starts at DamlataΕ Station, which is right next to DamlataΕ 100th Year Park, and goes up to the castle. At the top, the cable car stops near the bottom of Ehmedek. Here, you can see Alanya and the harbor from different spots where you can look out. After you go up some stairs, you reach Ehmedek Castle. From there, you can look down at Cleopatra Beach like you're a bird in the sky.
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Cleopatra Beach
Cleopatra Beach is a beach in Alanya, part of Antalya. It has a blue flag, which means it's clean and safe. It got its name because the Roman general Antony gave Alanya to Cleopatra. Cleopatra often swam at this beach when she was in the area.
Alanya Bazaar
The market in Alanya has a lot of sellers in the Friday market and around. There are many small shops where you can buy all types of clothes, shoes for summer and winter, and leather jackets. Some stores have foreign brand clothes in small shops. Some stores are split into summer and winter parts, which tourists really enjoy. If you're looking for souvenirs from Alanya or Turkey, you can find items that are special to Turkey and buy them.
Friday Market
It is in the old part of town, close to the harbor. On Friday mornings, you can buy almost anything. Local farmers sell fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat. You can also find a lot of Turkish Delight, gifts, clothes, bags, and shoes. It shows what local life is like.
Manavgat Waterfall
The Manavgat River is 93 km long and starts from the eastern side of the Western Taurus Mountains. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea through a narrow passage in the Sorgun area. This river gets its water from large underground sources and creates the Manavgat Waterfall, where the water falls off cliffs about 5 meters high. The river is home to many types of fish and birds, like trout, carp, mullet, sea bass, blackfish, water ducks, geese, kingfishers, various herons, seagulls, and more. It also has a lot of different plants. People can do nature sports like rafting and canoeing in some parts of the river, which lets them enjoy the natural beauty.
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Visiting Alanya gives you a mix of different experiences. You can enjoy the busy markets full of many types of goods and the calm beauty of the Manavgat Waterfall. There's also the beautiful nature and activities you can do along the Manavgat River. This area is not only beautiful with its nature and culture, but it also lets you really get to know the local life, traditions, and food. If you like adventure and outdoor sports, want to shop for unique items, or just want to experience the local culture and sights, Alanya has many special moments and things to discover waiting for you.