Alanya - 300 sunny days a year
Alanya is a city in the district of the same name in the Turkish province of Antalya and at the same time a district of the Büyükşehir belediyesi Antalya (metropolitan municipality / metropolitan province ) created in 1993. The seaside resort, which lies on the Turkish Riviera , is located about 135 km east of Antalya .
The name of the city comes from the 13th century, from Ala-iye, “City of Ala”. Since the city was used in the 13th century as the winter residence of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum , Alaeddin Kai Kobad I , the city was named after the Sultan Alaiye. In Latin sources the city is usually called Alaya. The city was given its current name Alanya in 1933 from Kemal Ataturk .
The name refers to the hilly rocky promontory protruding far into the sea on which the ancient city was built. The top of the hill was equipped with a defensive wall in the Hellenistic phase. At the beginning of the 2nd century BC The city could face a siege by Antiochus III. oppose. After that it became a base for Cilician pirates . Middle of the 2nd century BC The pirate chief Diototos Tryphon built a fortress there. The pirates were eventually born in 67 BC. Defeated by Pompey . Korakesion minted its own coins during the Roman Empire. The titular Coracesium of the Roman Catholic Church goes back to a late antique diocese of the city.
In Byzantine times the place was called Kalon oros (beautiful mountain). A church in the fortress (11th century) dates from this period. In 1221 the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Kai Kobad I took the city and named it Alaiye. The ruler Kyr Vart was deported to Konya- Akşehir. Afterwards, Kyr Vart's daughter married the Sultan and was later buried in Kayseri in the Huand Hatun House (1237).
After the fall of the Seljuk Empire, the area was annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1471. Together with Tarsus it belonged to Cyprus in 1571, again to Konya in 1864 and, since 1868, to Antalya or this province.
The ancient Greek name Alanyas is Korakesion (German Rabenhorst). It belonged to the area of Pamphylia , but is sometimes also included in the Rough Cilicia .
Historical
The castle hill
The castle hill consists of three sectors, each surrounded by walls. The outer sector includes important buildings from the Seljuk period such as the shipyard (Turkish Tersane) and the Red Tower ( Turkish Kızıl Kule). The tower is 33 m high and was built in 1224–1228 to protect the harbor. In the middle sector there is a bathhouse and the Suleymaniye Mosque. The third sector is the citadel - İç Kale, the origin of the complex. There, next to the Byzantine church, there was the sultan's palace, cisterns and barracks.
The pearl of the Turkish Riviera
In 1948 the Damlataş Cave was discovered during port work. The first investigations were conducted by a citizen of Alanya, Galip Dere. He had heard from Germany about the healing effects of the cave air and had the healing effects on the respiratory system confirmed in corresponding studies. He was given permission to enlarge the entrance area and then sent photos to newspapers across Turkey. This started the tourist tradition in Alanya.
In 2012, Alanya visited more than 50,000 German vacationers. In the summer of 2013, German airlines received landing permits for the first time at Gazipaşa Airport , which is about 40 kilometers from Alanya.
landmarks
Alanya Castle - In the 2nd century BC This was further fortified and expanded.
Red brick tower at the harbor, 33 m high; the tower is used as an ethnographic museum.
Seljuk Shipyard
Alanya Castle Hill with the old city center, mosque and caravanserai
District "Tophane" between the castle wall and the Red Tower
At the foot of the castle hill is the Damlataş cave ( stalactite cave ) with a constant temperature of 22 ° C and 96% humidity
Archaeological Museum
Cleopatra Beach to the west of the city
the "Dimhöhle", officially accessible since 1998 - about 15 km from the center
the Aşıklar Cave (Aşıklar Mağarası)
the river Dim Çayı with many picnic restaurants
further east the city of Anamur with the castle worth seeing and the historical city of Anemurion .
900 meter long cable car Alanya Teleferik with 14 cabins between the beach and the castle, opened in 2017
useful information
A large number of German repatriates live in Alanya (around 10,000 in 2006). Due to the large number of Germans, Alanya is sometimes referred to as "Almanya" (Germany) by the Turks living in the Mediterranean region.
Alanya is the only city in Turkey to have an advisory board for foreigners made up of voluntary members from different nations. He can take part in city council meetings in an advisory capacity on relevant topics. Foreigners who need advice can contact the advisory board.
The immigration police near the bus station (“Otogar”), where residence permits are applied for if the stay is longer than 90 days, employs a German and English speaking officer.
Another large group of Russian emigrants , unlike the Germans, has their own school. In addition, many Scandinavians live in Alanya, especially Danes and also Dutch, who concentrate on the eastern district of Mahmutlar .
There is a Christian community in Alanya. She is connected to the Catholic community in Antalya in the St. Nicholas Association. A pastor is sent to Antalya via the Catholic Bishops' Conference, the ecumenical congregation in Alanya always has a retired pastor via the Evangelical Church in Germany. The congregation has had its own premises since 2013, in which other activities take place in addition to the church service. There is close ecumenical cooperation with other Christian churches (Norwegians, Dutch).
