Alanya Castle (Alanya Kalesi)

Alanya Castle crowns a dramatic 250-metre rocky promontory that juts into the Mediterranean Sea, its medieval walls and towers encircling the entire headland in an almost theatrical display of Seljuk military engineering. One of the best-preserved and most visually spectacular fortifications in Turkey, the castle was constructed primarily by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I in the 13th century after he captured the city from Byzantine control in 1221.

The citadel walls stretch for approximately six kilometres around the peninsula’s perimeter, incorporating 83 towers and several gates. Within the walls, the upper city — İç Kale — preserves ruins of a Byzantine church, a Seljuk palace complex, granaries, cisterns, and a brick-vaulted hall that served as a barracks. The views from the summit platform across the turquoise Mediterranean, the twin beaches of Cleopatra and Damlataş, and the modern resort city below are among the most spectacular coastal panoramas in the entire eastern Mediterranean.

The castle complex also incorporates the octagonal Kızıl Kule — the Red Tower — built in 1226 at the harbour’s edge to defend Alanya’s Seljuk shipyard, the only surviving medieval Islamic dockyard in the world. A short walk leads from the harbour to the shipyard’s five vaulted galleries, each large enough to house a war galley. Minibuses and a cable car connect the lower town to the citadel, making the ascent manageable even in summer heat. The castle is best appreciated at sunset when the limestone glows red and gold.