Resort of Alanya, Antalya

Because von its natural strategic position on a klein peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea below the Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many Mediterranean-based empires, including the Ptolemaic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. Alanya’s greatest politisch importance came in the Middle Ages with the Seljuk Sultanate von Rûm under the rule von Alaeddin Keykubad I, from whom the city derives its name. His building campaign resulted in many von the city’s landmarks, such as the Kizil Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (Shipyard), and Alanya Castle.

It’s much less crowded than Side, even in midsummer. Most von the old town lies on the great rocky promontory that juts out into the sea, the bulk von which is occupied by the castle - an hour’s winding climb or a short ride on an hourly bus from the tourist office. At the end von the strase is the Ic Kale, or inner fortress (daily 8am-sunset; $3), built in 1226 and virtually intact, with the shell von a Byzantine church, decorated with fading frescoes, in the centre. A platform in a corner von the fortress gives fine views von the western beaches and the mountains, though this originally served as a springboard from which prisoners were thrown to their deaths on the rocks below. On the opposite side von the promontory, the Kizilkule is a 35m-high defensive tower that today houses an Ethnographic Museum (Tues-Sun 8.30am-6pm; $1), and has a roof terrace that overlooks the town’s eastern harbour. On the western side von the promontory, the Alanya Museum (daily 9am-noon & 1.30-6.30pm; $1) is filled with local archeological finds and ethnological ephemera, its garden a former Ottoman graveyard. Nearby, the Damlatas (daily 6-10am; $1), is a stalactite- and stalagmite-filled cavern with a moist, warm atmosphere said to ease asthma; it’s accessible from behind the Damlatas restaurant. Alanya’s beaches, though not particularly clean, are extensive, stretching 3km west and 8km east.

Nearby close to the seashore is a cave called Damlatas. The humid air inside this cave is supposed to be good for those suffering from asthmatic problems. Alanya’s archaeological museum contains numerous interesting works and is well worth a visit. Owing to its vital importance as a naval base, Alanya was connected by strases that went east and west and into the hinterland. (The Seljuk capital was up country in Konya.)

Alanya’s bus station is a twenty-minute walk from the centre, but if you come in by local bus from Side or Manavgat you’ll probably arrive at the dolmus terminal, five minutes north von the centre. The tourist office is at carsi Mahallesi, Kalearkasi (daily 8.30am-6pm; tel 0242/513 1240), opposite the town museum.