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.

History
Alanya was sometimes considered part of Cilicia and sometimes part of Pamphilia. It was later ruled by the Hittites, Greeks and Romans respectively. In a bad state of repair after a number of invasions and wars, the city was rebuilt by the Romans. In the Byzantine era, Alanya was called Kolonoros, which means the “beautiful mountain”. In 13th Century, Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I conquered the city and changed the name as Alaiye. Alanya, ruled by Karamans in mid 13th century was later procured by the Ottoman Empire in 1471.

Climate
Alanya has a typical Mediterranean climate with wet humid winters and hot dry summers. The average temperature year-round is 19ºC. The water averages 21ºC.

Archeology Museum
The museum includes certain sections in which archeological and ethnographic works are kept and exhibited. The most ancient work displayed in this museum, is the inscription in Phoenician language dated back to 625B.C. Bronze, marble, ceramics, glass and mosaic finds belonging to Roman, Byzantine periods, an epitaph in Karaman language and coins of Archaic (7-5 B.C century) , Classical Ages, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Ottoman and Republican Periods are exhibited in archeology section. The ethnography section includes Turkish Islamic works of art and traditional belongings, guns, handicrafts, jewels, pots and pans collected from the environs of Alanya. A symbolic section of a traditional Alanya house can also be seen in this part.

Kızılkule Ethnography Museum
Being the symbol of Alanya, this monumental building was constructed in 1226 for military purposes to defend the pier and was one of the unique sample of Seljuk art. After being restored between 1951-1953, the structure gained the function of ethnography museum through the exhibitions of carpets, clothing, pots and pans, guns,etc peculiar to Alanya.

Ancient Places and Castles
Leartis-Learti (Mahmutlar Ruins)
The place also named as the Big Ruin or the Big Church is located on the skirts of the big and small hills on the shore of the city. This city, 22 km from the center has churches, baths, cisterns, residential buildings, a small stadium and theater, streets lines with columns and temples.

Syedra Ruins
The city of Syedra was founded in the 3rd century BC on top of a hill between the modern day villages of Kargacı and Seki. Inscriptions found in the portion of the city which was located on the hill and the surrounding area prove that it is an old Roman ruin. The lintels of the monumental city gate are still standing. On both sides of the column-lined streets there are historic structures and mosaics and there are 3 pools in the city which were most likely used as water depots.

The Port City of Iotape (Aytap)
Iotape is 30 km east of Alanya. The modern day highway along the Mediterranean coast goes right through this Roman city. The city was named in memory of King Antiochus' wife, Iotape. The city has a small port measuring 50-100 meters. The castle built on a very high hill and shaped like a peninsula is rather difficult to climb up to but the view is worth the effort. The most well preserved parts of the city of Iotape are the remains of the old street, the baths, a church, a necropolis and acropolis. Within the ancient ruins single room, covered tombs can also be seen.

Seljuk Shipyard
Built in 1228, the shipyard is 56,5 m in length, 44 m in depth and includes 5 rooms. In case of any danger might be received from the south, the shipyard has been strengthened by a two storey and two room tower.

Alanya Castle
Alanya Castle is the only Seljuk castle which has been preserved until the present day. In 1225 Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat had the castle built on top of the Roman ruins. The castle surrounded by triple walls has 83 towers and 140 bastions and consists of inner and outer castle sections. The castle is a treasure chest of history. Inside the castle ramparts there are Agios Georgios Church, Suleiman the Magnificent Mosque, Akşebe Sultan Tomb, the Seljuk Baths, the artisans' shops, the bazaar's storage rooms, the tomb of Zitti Zeynep, the Palace of Sultan Alaaddin, big and small cisterns, a lighthouse and a dungeon.


The Red Tower
The Red Tower (Kızıl Kule), named after the hewn stones in the upper and lower sections, was built in 1226. The tower stands sound strong even today. There is an altitude difference of 2 meters between the east and west fronts due to the location where it was built. The five-storey tower is octagonal. There is a section rising from the center of the bottom floor up to the fifth floor. The main support structure of the tower also serves as a cistern. The bottom floor of the tower is now an ethnographic museum.

Süleymaniye (Kale) Mosque
The mosque, which reflects Ottoman architectural design, is known to have been built in the 16th century on top of a Selçuk temple. The wooden windows and doors are beautiful examples of Ottoman carvings.

Emir Bedrüddin Mosque
Beside this mosque, which Emir Bedrüddin had built in 1227, is a small minaret made of cut stone. Its pulpit is one of the examples of carving art.

Akşebe Sultan Mosque
Akşebe Sultan is one of the first commanders of Alanya castle.The mosque was made to be built by him in 1230. On the western side of the mosque there is a minaret special to its own architectural style.

Unlike most vacation spots, Alanya has beaches right in the very center of town and the cool shade of Dim Brook valley, 15 km east of Alanya, is a great place to get away and relax. About 25 km west of Alanya are the beaches of Avsallar, which is a nice vacation spot. If you go east of Alanya towards Gazipaşa, you will see magnificent beaches. About 30 km east of Alanya are the Roman ruins of Iotape (Aytap), a nice place for an excursion with an excellent beach and nice bays.

Hasbahçe Cave
It is in the Küçük Hasbahçe neighborhood and 4 km away from the city. It is a couple of times larger than the Damlataş cave. But since no in-depth study has been carried out the cave is not very well known yet.

Kadıini Cave
Situated about 15 km northeast of Alanya, at a place called Çatak, the picnic areas in the vicinity bring liveliness to the area.

Korsanlar Cave
It is known as the place where the terrifying pirates stored the goods they stole and kept the girls they kidnapped. The mouth of the cave, which is approximately 10 m wide and 5-6 m. tall, is big enough to allow boats to go in and out. The dome-shaped interior with its colorful ceiling leads northward into the pitch-black depths of the cavern.

Lovers Cave
The mouth of the cave is about 2 m. above the sea and big enough for a person to get through. The mouth of the cave is adorned with stalactites, stalagmites and columns.

Fosforlu Cave
Having a similar appearance with Korsanlar Cave, Fosforlu Cave can be accessible by boat since its entrance is wide enough. Various hues deep into the sea display superb spectacle

Damlataş Cave
The total length of the cave is 30 m., and is dry and horizontal. It covers an area of total 200 m. The cave is 15 meters high and has a marvelous vision formed by numerous stalactite and stalagmites. With the carbon dioxide gas, high humidity, low temperature and radioactive atmosphere, the cave is extremely beneficial for asthmatic patients. Therefore the asthmatic patients form the most dense visitor groups. The formation period of the stalactite and stalagmites inside the cave are estimated to be between BC 20.000-15.000 years.

Büyük Dipsiz Cave
The cave, with the total length of 40 m. has the deepest point at 29 meters in respect to the cave entrance. As the carstic floor water is present at the above layers, the cave is dry. The cave is chillier than open air. The temperature outside is 20ºC at the beginning of November though the temperature inside the cave is 17ºC. The cave is formed between the Creates aged residual limestone and by the conglomerate limestone formations of the same age just below this layer. After a narrow entrance, with an average slope of 25º the cave proceeds towards north.

Çimeniçi Cave
The total length of the cave is 10 meters and except for a steep climb it is totally horizontal. Because the thickness of the limestone in which the cave has developed is in a limited and congested area, the cave is totally dry hydrological. The atmosphere of the cave is relatively chilly when compared with open air. The average temperature is around 17ºC - 20ºC. The cave has been formed by numerous connected chambers and two layers. The cave has a single aperture among the direction of East, Southeast - West initially and later the chambers were formed as the aperture was divided by travertine pillars. There are numerous chambers at the primary section and is completely horizontal. The cave then proceeds to the second section via a steep climb of + 57 meters. This section of the cave is +10 meters higher than the entrance and is formed by two big chambers. The cave is extremely rich on the basis of travertine deposition. The travertine pillars forming the chambers cover most of the space. The side walls are decorated with drapery travertine. This cave is interesting because of the beauties of the natural formations and accompanying historic remains in the vicinity. The usage at the historic periods ware understood though no written documents were revealed by the recent studies. The cave has not been involved in the touristic locations yet.

Dim (Gavurini) Cave
The total length of the cave is 357 meters and the cave is horizontal and dry. There is only a quiet small lake towards the end of the cave. Dim cave is one of the most beautiful caves of Turkey. It is suitable for a visit as is at the vicinity of Alanya and as the environment is covered with forests and picnic sites. Because the cave was used as a shelter by prehistoric and historic periods, the cave was called as "Gavurini Cave" by the local people.

Beldibi Cave
The cave is at 25 m. from the coast and is in the shape of a shelter. As the cave is damaged extensively by natural destruction, the filling layers are flown away by rain waters and winds. 6 layers containing totally Mesolithic cultures were determined. At the excavations, flintstone tools belonging to Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods were obtained. Also, at the walls of this under - rock shelter, human, mountain goat and deer drawing sketches are present. The cave is an archeological side which is continuously open to local and foreign tourists.

Derya Cave
The total length of the cave is 124 m. and the deepest point in respect to the entrance is at 35.65 m. The cave is vertical. As the south section of the cave is inside the sea, it could be named as "marine cave". The cave is dry and its development had been halted. The sections which are at the sea are covered with the partially salted sea water. There is a small amount of stalagmite and wall travertine developed at the grand hall though towards south the amount of stalagmite and stalactite increases. In this section, sweet water springs gush out of cracks and mix to sea water. There is a second exit to the 40 m west of the main entrance. With the width of 0,5 meters and 1 meters length, the entrance is seen as a widened crack. Air is relatively chilly in respect to open air in summer.


Rafting
The river which offers the best rafting in the area is the Dim Brook which empties into the sea, 6 km east of Alanya. The 'Alraft' rafting facilities found on the river 20 km to the northeast of Alanya offer rafting excursions.

Mountain Sports
Recently there has been quite an interest in trekking and amateur mountain climbing. This interest is mostly due to the mountains of Akdağ (2451 m.) and Cebelireis (1649 m.) as they are very suitable places for these sports. Mt. Akdağ has been declared as a Winter Sports Tourism Center by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The Alanya Triathlon
This international sports event, which is held every year in October, began in 1991. Broadcast to the world via Eurosport TV, this non-stop event consists of three separate races: swimming, cycling and running.

Hunting
Because of the area's climate, terrain and vegetation, it has wonderful potential as a hunting area. Because of the rapid decline in the deer population they are now protected and hunting is prohibited but mountains goat hunting is allowed on a restricted basis.

It is possible to catch almost any kind of fish in Alanya.

Camping
There are many places to camp and to park motorhomes in and around Alanya.

How to Get
Alanya is 135 km from Antalya. The highway connecting the two cities passes through a number of residential areas and tourist spots. Public buses provide transportation on the route of Alantur, Bus Station-Ulaş every ten minutes.

By Road
There is regular bus and minibus service.

Bus Station Tel: (+90-242) 513 26 50

By Air
The nearest airport is in Antalya 130 km away.
Antalya Airport Tel: (+90- 242) 330 32 33

By Rail
The nearest train station is in Burdur.

By Sea
The port in Alanya is suitable for large ships with heavy cargo. The port is still being used both for touristic as well as commercial purposes.During the tourist season, there are passenger and cargo services between Alanya and Girne (Northern Cyprus). This is the most important customs port in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.