Alanya & the Barber

We had reached Alanya, which will be our most eastern town of Turkey on this journey. Tomorrow we will be on our way back to Europe, but first we wanted to visit this lovely town which lies around a hill which stands out from the coast.

Castle hill of Alanya

We had parked directly at the beach and close to the start of the funicular leading up to the castle.
After we had arrived, a day of rain made us stay at home and work and be lazy, but the next day was beautiful again, and we were on our way up the hill as soon as the funicular had started.

Can you spot our camper?

Sandy beach of Alanya

Because of its natural strategic position on a small peninsula below the Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many Mediterranean-based empires, including the Seleucid, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. Alanya’s greatest political importance came in the Middle Ages, with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. This period brought many of the city’s landmarks, such as the Kızıl Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (Shipyard), and Alanya Castle.

Reaching the castle

Most of the castle was built in the 13th century under the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm on the remnants of earlier Byzantine era and Roman era fortifications. The castle is located 250 metres high on a rocky peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean Sea, which protects it from three sides. The wall which surrounds the castle is 6.5 kilometres long and included 140 towers. 400 different cisterns had been built inside to serve the castle.

After the region was pacified under the Ottoman Empire, the castle ceased to be purely defensive, and numerous villas were built inside the walls during the 19th century.

Old mosque inside the castle

Byzantine church

View down to modern Alanya

Rocky peninsula underneath the castle

Tourists everywhere 😉

Old villa inside the castle walls

Kizil Kule or Red Tower near the harbour

The Red Tower was completed in 1226. The octagonal red brick tower was built to protect the Tersane (shipyard) which dates from 1221.

The tower is 33 m high and remains one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture and the best preserved Seljuk building in the city. It was built by the architect Ebu Ali, who come from Aleppo. A cistern at the core of the tower is designed as the supporting element of the entire construction. It was used to supply water to the garrison, consisting of 40 men.

Inside the Red Tower

Upper floors with the roof of the cistern

In the back the wall leads up the hill

The Tersane shipyard next to the tower consists of 5 covered docks which are 40 metres long and each is 7 metres wide. It was used for the construction and repair of smaller ships. After Sinope at the Black Sea, the shipyard has made Alanya the second most important Seljuk seaport.