The best tourist attractions in Alanya include the red tower of Kizil Kule, the castle of Alanya, a day cruise to the city of Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus, Aspendos amphitheater, and Cleopatra’s Beach.
Kizil Kule red tower is the main tourist attraction in Alanya, and it is also the symbol of the city, in very much similar fashion as the Eiffel Tower symbolizes Paris. The tower is even used in the city’s official flags.
The building was completed in 1226 and its name comes from the red tile that was used to build this 33 meter tall and 12.5 meter wide construct.
One of the reasons to build the tower was to protect the harbor of Tersane next door, with the harbor being an attraction in itself as well.
Since 1979, the tower has housed the Ethnographic Museum of Alanya, which tells the tale of both the history of the city and its most famous tower.
The castle of Alanya, on the other hand, is a Medieval castle, which was build during the 13th century, on top of ruins from the earlier castles from Byzantine and ancient Roman periods.
Location of the castle is magnificent, on a 250 meter tall peninsula, protected by the Mediterranean sea from three sides.
During the Ottoman period, the purpose of the castle was changed into a civilian use, and inside its defensive walls several villas were constructed during the 19th century.
Today, you can visit the castle, as it is used as an open air museum.
PHOTO: A view to the castle of Alanya and its defensive walls.
A day cruise to the city of Kyrenia in Northern Cyprus is possible to do from Antalya during the most popular tourist season (May-September), using the shipping company “Fergün Shipping” (www.fergun.net)
Cruise to one direction with the cruise line takes about 3 1/2 hours. Kyrenia is a picturesque harbor-village with a population of around 22,000, and the place is also the most popular tourism destination within Northern Cyprus.
The most popular attraction to see within Kyrenia is the castle of St. Hilarion, which is located between Kyrenia and Nicosia, an easy day-trip from Kyrenia.
Aspendos amphitheater is one of the best preserved ancient Roman landmarks outside of Italy, and one of the famous tourist attractions in Alanya.
According to the legend, the city of Aspendos was founded by settlers from Argos, who were returning from the famous Trojan war.
The amphitheater was build during the city’s golden age, when ancient Roman empire ruled over the region. The orders to build the place came from emperor Marcus Aurelius during the second century.
Many ancient Roman history enthusiasts combine a tour at Aspendos to a visit to the Gate of Hadrian, which is also located within Antalya.
Finally, of the tourist attractions in Alanya, Cleopatra’s Beach has been named after its most famous guest, the Queen of Egypt Cleopatra, who spend time at the beach and the city with the celebrated ancient Roman general, Marc Antony.
The beach is known for its especially fine white sand, which is unlike the sand at any of the other beaches in the region. According to inherited knowledge, this is because Cleopatra had the sand delivered from the sand dunes of Egypt.