Alanya Castle
From Antalya, there is the rather a fantasy-like area of Alanya. Standing 250 meters high on a jagged peninsula, yet with eloquent grace over the cluster of bars and souvenir shops is this Seljuk-era castle. Most of the castle was actually built in the thirteenth century, its foundation being remnants of Byzantine and Roman era. Its location keeps it protected from three sides as it faces the Mediterranean Sea and a wall surrounds the castle area with its 140 towers. It was only during the Ottoman Empire that the castle ceased to be defensive and villas were then built inside the wall during the nineteenth century. But today the castle is now an open-air museum open to visitors to explore the confines of the wall.
From the castle, one can admire the panoramic views that go from across the city and out to the Pamphylian plain and Cilician mountains. At the top of the castle area, the inner fortress is home to half-dozen cisterns and the shell of an eleventh-century Byzantine church.
After your visit to the castle, you might want to compare the details of what you’ve seen with the Alara Castle or go take a refreshing trip to either Cleopatra’s Brach, Alanya or Alara Waterfall.