The history of Alanya: from a pirate fortress to a seaside resort

At first glance Alanya looks like a young resort of new residential complexes and beaches. In fact the town has more than two thousand years behind it: pirates once sheltered here, Byzantine garrisons stood guard, and a Seljuk sultan made this headland his winter capital. Here is the story, briefly but in order — so that as you walk the old town you know what you are looking at.

Ancient roots: Coracesium and the pirates

The first records of a settlement on this rocky headland date to the Hellenistic era, when it was called Coracesium. Nature seemed to build a fortress here on purpose: a high rock falling to the sea on three sides gave excellent protection.

That is why, in the 2nd–1st centuries BC, Coracesium became one of the strongholds of the Cilician pirates who terrorised the whole eastern Mediterranean. Their dominance was ended by the Roman general Pompey, who defeated the pirate fleet off these shores around 67 BC. After that the region long belonged to Rome and then to Byzantium.

Kalonoros: a fortress on the rock

In Byzantine times the town was named Kalonoros — from the Greek for “beautiful mountain”. The name says it all: the fortified hill above the sea remained the chief prize of this place. Walls, churches and water cisterns gradually turned the summit into a self-sufficient fortress town, able to withstand a long siege.

Alaiye — the Seljuk golden age

The turning point came in 1221, when the Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I took the fortress. He renamed the town in his own honour — Alaiye — and made it his winter residence. Almost everything Alanya is proud of today dates from this period:

• Alanya Castle (Alanya Kalesi) — mighty walls several kilometres long that ring the whole summit of the headland.
• Kızıl Kule (the Red Tower) — an octagonal red-brick tower built around 1226 to defend the harbour and the shipyard. Today it is the town’s main symbol.
• Tersane — a medieval shipyard right by the water, the only surviving Seljuk shipyard of its kind. From here the Seljuk state reached the sea.

For its time this was an advanced port complex: tower, arsenal and shipyard worked as a single defensive and trading system.

From the Ottomans to the resort of Alanya

In 1471 the town became part of the Ottoman Empire, annexed by the commander Gedik Ahmet Pasha. For centuries under the Ottomans, Alaiye remained a quiet port town living off the sea, its gardens and trade.

The name we know today appeared only in the 20th century. By the common account, the modern name Alanya was fixed in 1935, in the time of Atatürk. Its transformation into a resort began even later, with the growth of tourism in the second half of the 20th century, when the mild climate, long beaches and old fortress drew travellers from all over Europe.

The legend of Cleopatra

One of the town’s main beaches bears the name of Cleopatra, and a beautiful legend goes with it: that Mark Antony gave these fertile lands to the Egyptian queen, and that she herself swam in the sea here. There is no firm historical proof, but the name stuck — and today it is one of the most recognisable spots in Alanya.

What this means for a visitor

Alanya’s history is conveniently packed into one walking route: from the Red Tower by the port you can climb the castle walls up to the old town and watch the sunset over the sea — much where pirates, Byzantines and Seljuks watched it too.

At ForBuddy we rent out apartments in different parts of Alanya — from quiet Oba to lively Mahmutlar — and are always glad to tell you how to reach the castle, where to watch the sunset and when the old town is least crowded. Just ask — we’ll tell you like friends.