It is considered one of the most important symbols of Alanya, Alanya Castle, and its historical artifacts. It is an open-air museum built on a 10-hectare peninsula 250 meters from the sea.
The castle texture was built in the Hellenistic Period and has hosted the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman Civilizations until today. It is based on the architecture of the 13th century Seljuk Period.
Alanya Castle is known as 'Beautiful Mountain' in the Byzantine Period. It is an important place for sailors and the busiest port of the Mediterranean, the church in İçkale, Arap Evliyası, monastery ruins on Cilvarda Cape and İçkale from Orta Hisar. The remains of the round towered city walls that continue to. They belong to the Byzantine Period. Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I took over the city in 1221 and changed its name to Alaiye. He started a major reconstruction activity in the city, strengthened the old walls, and built new ones. Today's existing walls, large cisterns, Shipyard, Kızılkule, Tophane and the palace complex in İçkale are some of the works built by Alaeddin Keykubad I. Ehmedek, Akşebe Masjid, Andızlı Mosque, Seljuk Bath, Lower Castle Bath were also built during the Seljuk Period.
The difficulty accessing Alanya Castle from the sea and the land have kept it important throughout history. The length of the castle walls, which reveals the magnificence of the Seljuk Period, is 6.5 km. It has 83 towers and 140 bastions. Some of the nearly 1200 cisterns placed inside the city walls in the Middle Ages to meet the city's water needs are still in use today. The main works in İçkale were built on the other facades other than the west by basing them inside the castle walls.
Today, life continues with all its vitality in Alanya Castle, which defies time as a unique symbol that rises on the Mediterranean coast and summarizes the history of Anatolia. Silk and cotton weavings are made on wooden benches set up in front of the houses in the streets where traditional Alanya Houses are. Gourds, a local handicraft, are made and sold in workshops. Authentic cuisine is served in restaurants in the small gardens.
The castle is open to vehicular traffic. It can be reached on foot in approximately 1 hour. You can go up the hill with magnificent views using the Alanya Cable Car. The castle is one of the first places to visit the district. It lays Alanya out under your feet in all its splendor.
