Alanya

The large popular resort center of Antalya . Lies at one end of a rocky promontory which juts out into the Mediterranean between two long sandy beaches. A.13th century Seljuk Fortress-one of the most magnificent sights on the coast-crowns the headland. As a city, it first appeared in history during the antiqity. In the antique era Alanya was situated between the boundaries of Pamfilya and Kilikya, and was sometimes considered to be a city of Kilikya and sometimes a city of Pamfilya . Heredot states the people that lived in the region between Pamfilya and Kilikya one descendants of people who spread to Anatolia after the Trojon war. The first historical name of Alanya is Coracesium. The person who mentioned the name of 'Coracesium' for the first time in history was 4th B.C. geographer Skylaks. At that time this region was under the invasion of the Persians. After some time the city become an important center for the Mediterranean pirates and got strong enough to resist the Roman navy and became a base of the frightening pirate of the Mediterranean : Dryphon. Although VII. Antiochus, the Selefki king of the Syrian region, conquered the city in 139 B.C., Coracesium continued to be a home for the pirates for some more time. In 65 B.C., the city became a part of Rome after a naval attack by the Roman Commander, Magnus Pompelus. Following the collapse of Rome , the city went through the Byzantium era and had a new name; Kalonoros which means beautiful mountain, that was given by the sailors. In the 7th century the city resisted the Arabian invasion by strengthening its walls. When the crusaders conquered Istanbul and established the Latin Empire instead of the Byzantium in 1204, one of the feudal lords, Kyr Vart, who benefited from the lack of authority in Anatolia , took the control of Kalonoros.
In 1221, The Selcuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, seized the control of the city that he had besieged for some time, without fighting against Kyr Vart, who surrendered. Alaaddin Keykubat got married to Kyr Vart's daughter and had the city reconstructured and made it a winter capital city for the Selcuks. He gave the city, the name of Alanya after his own name. With its magnificient monuments and historical structure, Alanya, founded by Alaaddin Keykubat has been given the status of World Culture and Heritage nominee city by the United Nations science, culture and art institution; Unesco. Alanya, which had its most brilliant era during the reign of Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat , began to be controlled by Karamanogullari principality whose center was Konya , after the collapse of the Selcuk State in 1300. They made Alaiye a part of Memluk State in Egypt in 1427, in return for 5.000 golds. Alaiye was made a part of the Ottoman Empire in 1471 by Gedik Ahmet Pasha, who was one of the commanders of Fatih, the Conqueror.

The Ottomans made Alanya a part of Cyprus State in 1571 and then a part of the principality of Konya and finally that of Antalya in 1868 and in 1871 it was an administrative district of Antalya. The city was given the name the name of Alanya in 1933 with the suggestion of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of The Republic of Turkey. Alanya was an agricultural city, depending on the production of citrus fruits and bananas in the first half of the 20th century, whereas it became a center of national tourism activities based on health due to the refreshing air of Damlataş Cave in 1950s. The touristic movement of the city gained an international dimension, improving at a great pace with the help of its historical background and natural beauties. Today, Alanya is one of the biggest touristic centers of the Mediterranean with its capacity over 100 thousand beds used for tourists. The most remarkable characteristic of Alanya, making it different from other touristic centers of the world and particularly from the Mediterranean is that the city centre has become a big holiday resort where all kinds of services and goods are available. There are lots of options as for accommodation facilities, places for entertainment and shopping centers in Alanya and its vast beaches are at your service without any payments, ensuring the quality of the International Blue Flag. About 150 towers punctuate the walls of the well-preserved double-walled citadel. Within the outer walls are ruins of Mosques, a Caravanserai and covered bazaar: in the inner walls are a ruined cistern and a Byzantine church. Although Alanya’s history dates back the Roman times, it rose to prominence under the Seljuks, when in 1220, Alaeddin Keykubat made it his winter residence and naval base. The surviving buildings reflect the importance of the city in Seljuk times. Besides the impressive citadel tourists should explore the unique dockyards and the octagonal Kizil Kule ( Red Tower ) Alanya is a beautiful holiday center of modern hotels and motels, numerous fish restaurants and cafes and bars.