10.11.2023
5 Dakika
Alanya, located where the Taurus Mountains embrace the Mediterranean Sea with their spectacular natural beauty, has drawn many civilizations to the region for centuries, all of them in search of a land to settle down. Alanya's castle, which is thought to have existed since the 3rd century BC, is still standing today as a structure bearing the traces of the civilizations that dominated the region.
Built to protect Alanya, which, in the words of the famous historian Strabo, was "the first city seen when entering Cilicia from the west", this structure is located on a peninsula and about 250 meters above sea level. With a total of 83 towers and 140 bastions, the castle has kept watch over Alanya Harbor for hundreds of years. The ancient castle, which was home to Mediterranean pirates, was captured by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in 67 BC and was expanded with new reinforcing structures under the rule of the Roman Empire.
In the 13th century, the castle was captured by Alaaddin Keykubat I of the Seljuks and underwent a similar renovation and expansion. The Red Tower, which has become one of the symbols of the city today, the Seljuk Palace and many cisterns in the inner castle, the masjid and mausoleum named after Akşebe Sultan, one of the first Seljuk commanders who ruled Alanya Castle, are remnants of this period. There is also a shipyard structure near the castle that dates back to the Seljuk Period. This shipyard, which played a significant role as Alaaddin Keykubat took the title of "Ruler of the Two Seas" with many conquests, was used until the 1960s. Today, this building welcomes visitors as the Ship and Maritime Museum. Alanya Castle, which is still inhabited today, is also home to churches and chapels from the Byzantine Empire as well as the Süleymaniye Mosque built in the 13th century.
Alanya Castle has been watching the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea for centuries and hiding the memories of dozens of people it has been protecting within its walls that reach an impressive 6 and a half kilometers in length. So it is no wonder that the castle has also been the subject of many legendary narratives. One of them is a tragic love story that took place when the castle was under Byzantine rule. Let us share this heart-wrenching story with you.
The protagonist of this love story is Eleni, the daughter of Argiles, one of the Byzantine feudal landlords who served as a governor. The narrative goes that during Argiles' rule, the city was under constant attacks by a pirate named Vasili, and no matter how hard the governor tried, he couldn't stop Vasili from pillaging the city. Unable to avert the pirate's rage, Argiles finally came up with a solution: He thought that if he wed his daughter Eleni to the pirate Vasili, he could at last be free of this endless looting. Eleni, however, had no intention of giving in to her father's demands since the daughter of the landlord had already lost her heart to a lowly shepherd. She rejected her father's request and by bravely standing up to the governor, told him that she would never marry anyone else. As you might imagine, the governor, that imposing monarch, unable to swallow down his daughter's disobedience, had her thrown into a dungeon in the Alanya Castle. The dungeon cell he chose for Eleni was overlooking the beautiful Damlataş beach because the governor thought that his daughter would be unable to give up on life when faced with the beauty of Alanya and would eventually agree to marry the pirate Vasili. Alas, love is an unyielding force! Contrary to her father's expectations, Eleni did not give up on her beloved but she cried her heart out day after day and night after night, while looking out of her window at the wonderful view of Alanya. Soon, on the hills stretching from Alanya Castle to Damlataş, which had been barren until then, grew laurel, pomegranate and silverberry trees. The locals were so moved by Eleni’s story, and of her tears that turned a barren hill into a forest that even today, whenever it rains in Alanya and the smell of laurels fill the air, the people of Alanya are reminded of Eleni's tears.
Alanya, which has become an international center of coastal tourism with its sunny skies, the warm and yellow sandy beaches and the almost-eternal, smooth, rich-blue waters of the Mediterranean, also harbors these magnificent historical structures with such a touching story. Alanya Castle, containing within its walls traces and stories of many civilizations, is waiting for your visit.
