Area:

158.225 Hektar

Population:

384.949 (2000)

CASTLE is one of the most sought after districts of Alanya. In this area you live with Alanya’s largest attraction, the Castle, as your neighbour.

At the same time you have fantastic views of the city, the mountains and the beaches from your own balcony. You will not find better views anywhere else!

The district is very peaceful and quiet as there is minimum traffic and it is well above the rest of the town.

Alanya Castle divides the town into a Western and Eastern part and so this district is effectively the centre of town.

This means that although you live up on the hill everything is still within easy reach. You can either take the bus or use some of the many stairways that are built into the hillside. Thus you come directly to the shops, city life and other activities.

However, if you are walking-impaired, you should think carefully before choosing this district as there are many level changes and lots of steps.


AVSALLAR is a holiday resort with fine sandy beaches.


The many large hotel complexes have increased the development of the area and the resort has many shops and restaurants.



Avsallar has excellent transport facilities to Alanya and Antalya, where the airport is situated, since the main coastal road runs through the town.

Alara River flows through Avsallar and on the banks of the river is one of Turkey’s best preserved caravanserai, Alarahan dating from the 13th century.

DEMIRTAS is an area with a distinct local atmosphere.

There are no large hotels full of tourists but instead a beautiful beach area and silence which makes it easy to enjoy peace and quiet.

Demirtas has lovely natural scenery where the local Turks farm the land. If you want to hike in forest and mountains, you have easy access to the Taurus Mountains.

Shopping is done at the local general store or in the small kiosks.

There are good public transport services to Alanya.



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KARGICAK lies east of Alanya town and has lately become a popular area for tourists and property buyers.

Kargicak tempts with its lovely coast line and an impressive green landscape.




Kargicak has a small local centre with small shops for everyday necessities, restaurants and bars.

Some larger villa parks and apartment complexes are to be found in Kargicak..






KESTEL is a very tranquil district which is suitable for those who want to live peacefully and quietly.

The beautiful rural surroundings give the impression you are living in the countryside but actually you are not far away from the town.

Thus, the centre of Alanya can be reached within about fifteen minutes using one of the many local buses.

The district is situated fairly close to many wonderful sights and the Dim Valley and River are awaiting you a mere ten to fifteen minutes drive away.

Kestel is very noticeable for its local Turkish life and many succumb to its idyllic landscape and the peace and quiet.

There are still pleasant green areas and forests with lovely picnic areas where you can enjoy nature at its best.

KONAKLI is situated west of Alanya.

The town is situated in wonderful rural surroundings close to the Mediterranean.





There are many large hotel complexes here but there is also a good local village atmosphere due to the many farms in the area.

Konakli has excellent transport opportunities to Alanya and Antalya, where the airport is situated, since the main coastal road runs through the town.




MAHMUTLAR: More and more choose the town of Mahmutlar for their holiday home.

In the centre of Mahmutlar are shops, restaurants, bars, pharmacies and supermarkets. The town is surrounded by large banana plantations and the Taurus Mountains.


Mahmutlar offers a quiet and relaxed atmosphere, green and pretty scenery and a long beach promenade.








OBA: is a charming part of greater Alanya.

Pleasant beautiful surroundings characterise this district.

Great importance has been attached to the creation of an attractive district and this is evident in the wide pavements, small squares and many park areas.


Many wonderful experiences are on offer near Oba where the Dim River and Valley are only about a fifteen minute drive away.

Oba has a very good public transport system and the journey to the centre of Alanya by bus takes approximately ten minutes.




OKURCALAR: Okurcalar ist the first suburb on your way from Antalya and Manavgat to Alanya.

Okurcalar is approximately 32 km away from Alanya’s city centre. In Turkey this area is well-known for it's bananas, which is the main harvest fruit the village people live from.



The historical Alara castle (an old roman fortress), built high up on a rocky hill, is in the Okurcalar area directly at the cold and refreshing sweetwater Alara River, which offers popular, natural picnic sites in the area.

The biggest Aqua Park in the Alanya region, Water Planet, is located here, too - directly at the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Each 15-20 minutes there is a bus from here to Alanya and back.


TOSMUR: A quiet and peaceful district east of Alanya, Tosmur offers rural surroundings, tranquillity and natural beauty for the whole family.

You are close to the Dim River; a famous tourist attraction.

The local Turks have for many years sought refuge by this river when the summer has become too hot – the reason for this is the temperature of the river is only about 15 degrees.

Both locals and tourists sit on the floating rafts situated on the river, enjoy good food and a refreshing bathe in the river.

The green surroundings in Tosmur also tempts with long walks to the Taurus Mountains.
Tosmur has a beautiful beach promenade and in the area there are shops and markets for everyday shopping.

THE CITADEL OF ALANYA: The castle has a castle wall of 6.5 km length, 140 towers, about 400 cisterns, doors with inscriptions and as an open air museum reflects Seljuk art at its best, showing the fascination of Seljuk art. The castle was built by A. Keykubat, the Sultan of Seljuk. The ramparts start from Kizkule, extend down from Ehmedek, Ickale, Adam Atacagi, Cilvarda Burnu, Arap Evliyasi Rampart and Esat Rampart and pass through Tophane and Tersane and end at Kizilkule at the starting point. The first construction the castle dates from the Hellenistic Period, but in fact the construction took its fascinating and monumental form during the Seljuk Empire. The altitude of the part called the inner castle and located at the highest place of western corner of the peninsula is about 250 meters. It was surrounded by walls from four sides as it was the centre of administrative and military organisation. Two Seljuk period cisterns made of bricks located in the middle part of the inner castle are still in good condition at present. Main buildings in the inner castle were constructed so as to lean on the castle walls, except for the western part. Sultan Keykubat has been built his palace here...The settlement in the castle continues also today. In front of wooden and stone made houses, silk and cotton are woven, different figured calabash trees are coloured, otantic food has been served in little gardens. Further, on the road to the castle restaurant and cafes are located on the sea side. The castle road is open to vehicle traffic. You can also walk to it in circa one hour..

KIZILKULE (The Red Tower): Located on the seaport. This grand building erected in 1226 for military and dockyard control purposes is one of unique monuments of the Seljuks, and is the symbol of Alanya with its octagonal figure. In 1226, The Sultan of the Seljuk’s, Alaaddin Keykubat, ordered the builder of the Sinop Castle craftsman Ebu Ali Reha el Kettani from Halep to build the tower. It was very difficult to carry the stone blocks to the top of the tower during construction, therefore the top was built of red bricks and accordingly was named Red Tower. Some walls of tower was made of ancient marble. The tower has octagonal planned towers of each 12.5 mt wide 33 mt height and a diameter of 29. It’s has 5 floors including the ground floor. The top can be reached by big stone stairs. The sunlight reaches from the top to the first floor. There is a cistern in the middle of the tower. The tower was built against the attacks to the harbour and the dockyard and was used centuries for martial targets. After repairs between 1951 and 1953, the first floor of the building functions as ethnography museum.

THE DOCKYARD: It began to be built in 1227 and finished in one year, near Kizilkule (red tower) six years later after the Seljuk’s Sultan A.Keykubad controlled the city. The sea side of the dockyard with five arch parts has a lenght of 56.5 mt and 44 mt deep. The dockyard is located on the most sunny place to take advantage of sunlight. The tablet in the entry of the dockyard carries the emblem of A.Keykubat and it is enriched with rosettes.Alanya’s dockyard is the first dockyard of the Seljuk’s on the Mediterranean Sea. Keykubat who ordered to build the Sinop Dockyard, named later as the “Sultan of the two seas.” In one part of the dockyard is the small mosque, on the other side the room of the guards. In one of the archs is a well dried in course of time. entry is free to the dockyard which can be reached from the sea with boats or by walk.

THE GUN HOUSE: There's a gun house next to the dockyard. It was built with the aim of defence on a rock ten meters above the sea level. It's also known that cannons for battleships were made in the three-storey and rectangular building made of stone blocks and constructed in 1277.

EHMEDEK: It was rebuilt and began to be known as the "middle castle" during the Selcuks' Era, replacing the little one on the northern Side of the citadel left by the Byzantine Empire. It's clear from the inscription on its front door that it was built in 1227. It's thought to have been named after the master builder "Ehmedek" of the Selcuks' Era. The middle castle consisting of two parts with three towers is located on a strategically important place and at the same time it can protect the inner one where the Sultan's palace is. The walls of the towers we can see today were built during the Byzantine Era, carving rocks. The three cisterns in the middle castle are still used today. There are pictures of ships on the walls dating back to Selcuks' period.

BEDESTEN: It's in the citadel, near The Süleymaniye Mosque. It's thought to have been be built in the 14th or the 15th century during the Karamanoğulları period as a bazaar or an inn. It's a rectangular building made of stone blocks. It has 26 rooms and a courtyard that is 35 metres long and 13 metres wide. Today this historical building is used as a hotel, a restaurant and a cafe. The shops of the medieval times, overlooking the courtyard are now redesigned as hotel rooms. There's a big cistern at the end of the stairs in the garden. The garden overlooks the above walls on one side, and the Taurus Mountains, the Mediterranean and the beach on the other side. Bedesten can be visited with the permission of the person who runs it.

THE MINTING HOUSE: They are the buildings on Cilvarda Bay that has bluffs, nearly 400 meters long and they are at the end of the peninsula. Although known as "the Minting House" in public, those buildings made of stone blocks have never been used for issuing money.
One of the stone buildings of the 11th century is a little church and the others were possibly used as monasteries. The dome of the little church has remained standing. There's a cistern on the rocks. Although there's a passage of steps carved in the rocks from Ickale to Cilvarda Bay, it can't be used today. As for sea transport it is difficult and dangerous.
It looks magnificent both when looked at from Ickale and while turning the bend of the bay by boat.
The Citadel of Alara : Was built in 1232, 37 kilometres westward from Alanya on the demand of Alaaddin Keykubat, the Sultan of Selcuks and it is 9 kilometres far from the sea. The aim of the citadel that was on the Silk Road was to protect the crowds stopped at the inn near the Alara creek. It's built on a steep hill of 200 meters up to 500. It looks magnificent. It consists of an inner and outer part. A dark entrance-hall of 120 steps enters the citadel. It is important to be careful about the wild plants and ruins, since it is not organized as a place to be visited. There are tunnels made by carving rock in the citadel. There is a small palace, the rooms of the workers, a mosque and a Turkish bath in the ruins. Those who would like to go to the top of the citadel through the walls and paths have to climb at least one hour and be equipped properly. However, the view from the top is worth climbing.


Incekum: Incekum Beach is often talked about as one of the best beaches on the south coast. It has fine sand and the crystal clear water deepens very slowly.

Because of the shallow water, the beach is especially recommended to families with children.

Though first fortified in the Hellenistic period following the area's conquest by Alexander the Great, the castle rock was likely inhabited long before that under the Hittites and the Persian Empire. Finds in the nearby Kadrini cave indicate occupation during the Paleolithic era as far back as 20,000 BC.

Left to Ptolemy I Soter after 323 BC, his dynasty maintained loose control over the mainly Isaurian population, and the area became a popular spot for Mediterranean pirates who were at times loyal to Diodotus Tryphon of the Seleucid kingdom.

This period ended after the city's incorporation into the Pamphylia province of the Roman Republic by Pompey in 67 BC with the Battle of Korakesion fought in the city's harbor. After the Empire's collapse and split, the city remained under Byzantine influence, becoming a suffragan of Side, in the metropolis of Pamphylia Prima.

Muslims began arriving in the 7th century, and 681 marked the end of a bishopric in Alanya. The area fell from Byzantine control after the Battle of Manzikert to tribes of Seljuk Turks, only to be returned in 1097 by Alexios I Komnenos and forces of the First Crusade.

Seljuk rule saw the golden age of the city, and it can be considered the winter capital of their empire. Building projects, including the twin citadel, city walls, arsenal, and Red Tower made it an important seaport for western Mediterranean trade, particularly with Ayyubid Egypt and the Italian city-states.

Kay-Qubad also constructed numerous gardens and pavilions outside the walls, and many of his works can still be found in the city.

At the Battle of Köse Dag, the Mongol hordes broke the Seljuk hegemony in Anatolia, and Alanya was then subject to a series of invasions from Anatolian Turkish Beyliks, and even from Lusignans from the Cyprus, who overturned the Hamidoglu Beylik.

The city was sold by the then ruling Karamanoğlu dynasty in 1427 to the Mamluks of Egypt for a period before the general Gedik Ahmed Pasha in 1471 incorporated it into the growing Ottoman Empire.

In 1571 the city was desinated part of the province of Cyprus, then later under Konya, and in 1868 under Antalya, as it is today.

After World War I, Alanya was partitioned in the Agreement of St.-Jean-de-Maurienne to Italy, if only nominally. Like most in this region, the city suffered heavily following the war and the population exchanges that heralded the Turkish Republic, when many of the city's Christians resettled in Nea Ionia, outside Athens. The Ottoman census of 1893 had put the number of Greeks in the city at 964.

Tourism in the region started among Turks who came to Alanya in the 1960s for the alleged healing properties of Damlataş cave, and later the access provided by Antalya Airport allowed the town to grow into an international resort.

Strong population growth through the 1990s was a result of immigration to the city, and has driven a rapid modernization of the infrastructure.

The city has changed hands many times over the centuries, and its name has reflected this. Alanya was first known in Latin as Coracesium or in Greek as Korakesion from the Luwian Korakassa meaning "point/protruding city."

Under the Byzantine Empire it become known as Kalonoros, or "beautiful mountain." The Seljuks renamed the city Alaiye, a derivative of the name of the Sultan `Ala' ad-Din Kay-Qubad.

In his 1935 visit, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk finalized the name in the new alphabet as Alanya, changing the 'i' and 'e' in Alaiye, reportedly because of a misspelled telegram two years prior.