TheMediterranean climate, natural attractions, and historic heritage make Alanya a popular destination for tourism, and responsible for nine percent ofTurkey's tourism sector and thirty percent offoreign purchases of real estate in Turkey. Tourism has risen since 1958 to become the dominant industry in the city, resulting in a corresponding increase in city population. Warm-weather sporting events and cultural festivals take place annually in Alanya. In 2014Mayor Adem Murat Yücel, of theNationalist Movement Party unseated Hasan Sipahioğlu, of theJustice and Development Party, who had previously led the city since 1999. Adem Murat Yücel has served two terms as the Mayor of Alanya, first elected in 2014 and then elected for a second time in 2019. InMarch 31st 2024 Turkish local elections Osman Tarık Özçelik of theRepublican People's Party has been elected as the new Mayor of Alanya, making an historic mark as theRepublican People's Party was able to win an election in the city after 74 years.[5]
The city has changed hands many times over the centuries, and its name has reflected this. Alanya was known inLatin asCoracesium or inGreek asKorakesion (Ancient Greek:Κορακήσιον) from theLuwianKorakassa meaning "point/protruding city".[6] TheRoman Catholic Church still recognizes the Latin name as atitular see in its hierarchy.[7] Under theByzantine Empire it became known asKalonoros orKalon Oros, meaning "beautiful/fine mountain" inGreek.[8] TheSeljuks renamed the cityAlaiye (علائیه), a derivative of theSultanAlaeddin Kayqubad I's name. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Italian traders called the cityCandelore orCardelloro.[9] In his 1935 visit,Mustafa Kemal Atatürk finalized the name in thenew alphabet asAlanya, changing the 'i' and 'e' in Alaiye, reportedly because of a misspelledtelegram in 1933.[10][11]
TheRoman Republic foughtCilician pirates in102 BC, whenMarcus Antonius the Orator established aproconsulship in nearbySide, and in78 BC underServilius Vatia, who moved to control the Isaurian tribes.[16] The period of piracy in Alanya finally ended after the city's incorporation into thePamphylia province byPompey in67 BC, with theBattle of Korakesion fought in the city's harbor.[17] InStrabo's reckoning, Coracesium marked the boundary betweenancient Pamphylia andCilicia (Cilicia Trachaea, in particular); though other ancient authors placed the boundary elsewhere.[18] Isaurian banditry remained an issue under the Romans, and the tribes revolted in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, with the largest rebellion being from 404 to 408.[19]
Following theFourth Crusade's attack on the Byzantines, the ChristianArmenian Kingdom of Cilicia periodically held the port, and it was from an Armenian,Kir Fard, that the Turks took lasting control in 1221 when the Anatolian Seljuk SultanAlaeddin Kayqubad I captured it, assigning the former ruler, whose daughter he married, to the governance of the city ofAkşehir.[26] Seljuk rule saw the golden age of the city, and it can be considered the winter capital of their empire.[27] Building projects, including thetwin citadel, city walls, arsenal, andKızıl Kule, made it an important seaport for western Mediterranean trade, particularly withMamluk Egypt and theItalian city-states.[28] Alaeddin Kayqubad I also constructed numerous gardens andpavilions outside the walls, and many of his works can still be found in the city. These were likely financed by his own treasury and by the localemirs, and constructed by thecontractor Abu 'Ali al-Kattani al-Halabi.[14] Alaeddin Kayqubad I's son, SultanGıyaseddin Keyhüsrev II, continued the building campaign with a newcistern in 1240.[29]
Trade in the region was reduced by the development of an oceanic route from Europe around Africa to India, and in the tax registers of the late sixteenth century, Alanya failed to qualify as an urban centre.[31] In 1571 the Ottomans designated the city as part of the newly conqueredprovince of Cyprus.[12] The conquest further diminished the economic importance of Alanya's port. TravelerEvliya Çelebi visited the city in 1671/1672, and wrote on the preservation of Alanya Castle, but also on the dilapidation of Alanya's suburbs.[8] The city was reassigned in 1864 underKonya, and in 1868 underAntalya, as it is today.[12] During the 18th and 19th centuries numerous villas were built in the city by Ottoman nobility, and civil construction continued under the local dynastic Karamanid authorities.[6] Bandits again became common across Antalya Province in the mid-nineteenth century.[32]
After World War I, Alanya was nominallypartitioned in the 1917Agreement of St.-Jean-de-Maurienne toItaly, before returning to theTurkish Republic in 1923 under theTreaty of Lausanne.[33] Like others in this region, the city suffered heavily followingthe war and thepopulation exchanges that heralded the Turkish Republic, when many of the city's Christians resettled inNea Ionia, outsideAthens. The Ottoman census of 1893 listed the number ofGreeks in the city at964 out of a total population of37,914.[34] Tourism in the region started amongTurks who came to Alanya in the 1960s for the alleged healing properties of Damlataş Cave, and later the access provided byAntalya Airport in 1998 allowed the town to grow into an international resort. Strong population growth through the 1990s was a result of immigration to the city, and has driven a rapid modernization of the infrastructure.[35]
The town is divided east–west by a rockypeninsula, which is the distinctive feature of the city. The harbor, city center, and Keykubat Beach, named after the SultanKayqubad I, are on the east side of the peninsula. Damlataş Beach, named for the famous "dripping caves", and Kleopatra Beach are to the west. The name "Cleopatra" possibly derives from either thePtolemaic princess' visit here or the area's inclusion in her dowry toMark Antony.[41] Atatürk Bulvarı, the main boulevard, runs parallel to the sea, and divides the southern, much more touristic side of Alanya from the northern, more indigenous side that extends north into the mountains. Çevre Yolu Caddesi, another major road, encircles the main town to the north.[citation needed]
Winters, however, are mild and wet. Storm cells sometimes bring with them fair weatherwaterspouts when close to the shore.[43] The presence of the Taurus Mountain near to the sea causes fog, in turn creating visible rainbows many mornings. The height of the mountains creates an interesting effect assnow can often be seen on them even on warm days in the city below. The sea at Alanya has an average temperature of 21.4 °C (71 °F) annually.[44]
Climate data for Alanya (1991-2020, extremes 1970-present)
The Byzantine era Church of Saint Constantine inside Alanya Castle was also used as a mosque.
On the peninsula standsAlanya Castle, aSeljuk era citadel dating from 1226. Most major landmarks in the city are found inside and around the castle. The current castle was built over existing fortifications and served the double purpose of a palace of local government and as a defensive structure in case of attack. In 2007, the city began renovating various sections of the castle area, including adapting a Byzantine church for use as a Christian community center.[50] Inside the castle is the Süleymaniyemosque andcaravanserai, built bySuleiman the Magnificent.[51] The old city walls surround much of the eastern peninsula, and can be walked. Inside the walls are numerous historicvillas, well preserved examples of the classical period ofOttoman architecture, most built in the early 19th century.[citation needed]
TheKızıl Kule (Red Tower) is a 108-foot (33 m) high brick building, standing at the harbor below the castle, and containing the municipalethnographic museum. SultanKayqubad I brought the architect Ebu Ali fromAleppo,Syria to Alanya to design the building.[52] The last of Alanya Castle's83 towers, the octagonal structure specifically protected the Tersane (dockyard), it remains one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture.[53] The Tersane, a medievaldrydock built by the Seljuk Turks in 1221,187 by131 feet(57 by40 m), is divided into five vaulted bays with equilateral pointedarches.[51] TheAlara Castle and caravanserai nearManavgat, also built under Kayqubad's authority, has been converted into a museum and heritage center.[54]
Atatürk's House and Museum, from his short stay in the city on February 18, 1935, is preserved in its historic state and is an example of the interior of a traditional Ottoman villa, with artifacts from the 1930s. The house was built between 1880 and 1885 in the "karniyarik" (stuffed eggplant) style. Bright colors and red roofs are often mandated by neighborhood councils, and give the modern town a pastel glow. Housed in a 1967 Republican era building, The Alanya Museum is inland from Damlataş Beach.[55]
Alanya is a member of theNorwich-based European Association of Historic Towns and Regions.[56] In 2009, city officials filed to include Alanya Castle and Tersane asUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites, and were named to the 2009 Tentative List.[57][58]
From only 87,080 in 1985,[63] the district has surged to hold a population of 364,180 in 2022.[66] This population surge is largely credited to immigration to the city as a result or byproduct of the increased prominence of the real estate sector and the growth of thehousing market bubble.[68] In 2007, the city itself had a population of 134,396, of which 9,789 areEuropean expatriates, about half of them fromGermany andDenmark.[69] 17,850 total foreigners own property in Alanya.[70] There are a lot of Iranians who have settled in the city. During the Persian New Year a lot of Iranians go to Alanya for vacation. The European expatriate population tends to be over fifty years old.[71] During the summer the population increases due to large numbers of tourists, about1.1 million each year pass through the city.[36] BothTurks and Europeans, these vacationers provide income for much of the population.[citation needed]
The city is home to many migrants from theSoutheastern Anatolia Region and theBlack Sea region. In the first decade of the 21st century, the town has seen a surge inillegal foreign immigrants from theMiddle East andSouth Asia, both to stay and to attempt to enterEuropean Unioncountries.[72] As of 2006[update],1,217 migrants claim residence in Alanya while working abroad.[73][needs update]Yörük nomads also live in theTaurus Mountains north of the city on a seasonal basis.[74] Additionally, there is a smallAfrican community descendant from importedOttoman slaves.[75] In 2018, it was estimated that around 300Finns live permanently in Alanya and 3,000 during the Winter.[76] According to the TÜİK Institute of Statistics, as of October 2022, 55,000 foreigners live in the city, more than half of them are Russian speakers.[77]
The city is nearly 99%Muslim, and although many ancientchurches can be found in the district, there are no weekly Christianservices. In 2006, aGerman languageProtestant church with seasonal service opened with much fanfare, after receiving permission to do so in 2003, a sign of the growing European population in the city.[81] In 2015, the town began renovations of theGreek Orthodox Agios Georgios Church in the village of Hacı Mehmetli, and the church has been used for a monthlyRussian Orthodox service.[82] Alanya also provides the Atatürk Cultural Center to Christian groups on a regular basis for larger religious ceremonies.[83]
Young students from an Alanya school at their class garden
The city has 95%literacy, withpublic andprivate schools, and a roughly1:24student-teacher ratio.[36] Rural villages are, however, disadvantaged by the limited number ofsecondary schools outside the city center. Alantur Primary School, which opened in 1987, was built and is maintained under the Turkish "Build Your Own School" initiative, supported by the foundation of Ayhan Şahenk, the founder ofDoğuş Holding.[84]
TheKızıl Kule, or Red Tower, is home to the city ethnographic museum.
Alanya's culture is a subculture of the largerCulture of Turkey. The city's seaside position is central to many annual festivals. These include the Tourism and Arts Festival, which marks the opening of the tourism season from at the end of May or beginning of June.[91][92] At the opposite end of the season, theAlanya International Culture and Art Festival is held in the last week of May, and is a notableTurkish festival.[93] Other regular festivals include the Alanya Jazz Days, which has been held since 2002 in September or October at theKızıl Kule, which is otherwise home to the municipalethnographic museum. The Jazz Festival hosts Turkish and internationaljazz musicians in a series of five free concerts.[94]
Rockcorn from Finland perform during the 2011 Alanya International Culture and Art Festival
The Alanya Chamber Orchestra, formed of members of the Antalya State Opera and Ballet, gave its inaugural performance on December 7, 2007.[95] The International Alanya Stone Sculpture Symposium, begun is 2004, is held over the month of November.[96] The Alanya Documentary Festival was launched in 2001 by the Alanya Cinémathèque Society and the Association of Documentary Filmmakers in Turkey.[97]Onat Kutlar, Turkish poet and writer, and founder of theIstanbul International Film Festival was born in Alanya, as was actress Sema Önür.
Atatürk's visit to Alanya is also celebrated on its anniversary each February 18, centered on Atatürk's House and Museum.[6] The Alanya Museum is home toarchaeology found in and around the city, including a large bronzeHercules statue, ceramics, and Roman limestoneossuaries, as well as historic copies of theQur'an.[55][98] European residents of Alanya also often celebrate their national holidays, such asNorwegian Constitution Day,[99] and the city set up aChristmas market in December 2010.[100]Iranians also celebrate the Persian New Year,Nevruz, in Alanya.[101]
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2020)
Many national celebrations are centered at the downtownMustafa Kemal Atatürk monument.
Alanya was set up as a municipality in 1872, electing itsfirst mayor in 1901. Today, Alanya is governed by a mayor and a municipality council made up of thirty-seven members.[102] Twenty-four councilors are from the centre-leftRepublican People's Party, nine are from the far-rightNationalist Movement Party, and four are of theGood Party. Mayor Osman Tarık Özçelik of the Republican People's Party was elected in 2024 by unseating the incumbent Adem Murat Yücel, who had previously been mayor since 2014.[103]Elections are held every five years, with the next to be held in March 2029.
Alanya District is divided up into17 municipalities, including the city center, and92 villages.[104] Alanya is greatly influenced by the provincial government in Antalya, and the national government inAnkara, which appoints agovernor for the district, currently Dr. Hulusi Doğan.[105] Although Alanya has been part ofAntalya Province since the Ottoman Empire, many local politicians have advocated a separate Alanya Province, a position supported by associations of foreign residents.[106]
This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2020)
Locally grown fruits for sale in a market in the farming district of Obaköy, outside Alanya
The tourist industry in Alanya is worth just under1.1 billioneuros per year, and is therefore the principal industry.[36][when?] The area has many fruit farms, particularly lemons and oranges, and large harvests of tomatoes, bananas and cucumbers.[36][109] About 80,000 tonnes ofcitrus fruits were produced in 2006 across 16,840 hectares (41,600 acres). Thegreengage plum and theavocado are increasingly popular early season fruits where citrus fruits are becoming unprofitable.[110]
Despite the seaside location, few residents make their living on the sea, and fishing is not a major industry. In the early 1970s, when fish stocks ran low, a system of rotating access was developed to preserve this sector.[111] This innovative system was part ofElinor Ostrom's research on economic governance which led to her 2009Nobel Prize in Economics. In 2007, locals protested the establishment of some larger chainsupermarkets and clothing stores, which have opened branches in Alanya.[112]
Beginning in 2003, with the provisional elimination of restrictions onland purchases by non-nationals, the housing industry in the city has become highly profitable with many new private homes and condominiums being built for European and Asian part-time residents.[68] Sixty-nine percent of homes purchased by foreign nationals in theAntalya Province and 29.9% in all of Turkey are in Alanya.[70][113] Buyers are primarily individuals, rather than investors.[114] This housing boom put pressure on the city's manygecekondu houses and establishments as property values rise and property sales to locals fall.[115] A height restriction in the city limits most buildings to21 feet (6.5 m).[116] This keeps high rise hotels to the east and west of the city, preserving the central skyline at the expense of greater tourist potential. The fringes of the city however have seen uncontrolled expansion.[117]
This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is: covid-19. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2020)
Tourism began following the opening of Damlataş Cave in the 1950s.
Since the first modernmotel was built in 1958, considered the first year of the tourist industry in Alanya, hotels have raced to accommodate the influx of tourists, and the city as of 2007[update] claims157,000 hotel beds.[35][118]Damlataş Cave, which originally sparked the arrival of outsiders because of the cave'smicroclimate, with an average temperature of72 °F(22 °C) and95% humidity, is accessible on the west side of the peninsula with trails from Damlataş Beach.[119] Many tourists, especiallyScandinavians,Germans,Russians, andDutch, regularly vacation in Alanya during thewarmer months.[120] They are drawn to the area because of property prices, warm weather, sandy beaches, famous Turkish Hammam and access toAntalya's historic sites, and finecuisine.[121]
Other outdoor tourist activities includewind surfing,parasailing, andbanana boating. Attractions include Europe's largest waterpark, Sealanya, and Turkey's largestgo-kart track.[122] Hunting season also attracts some tourist for wild goat, pig and partridge hunting in area nature reserves.[123]
Alanya has 10 local daily newspapers.[36] One of these isYeni Alanya, which includes the news and lifestyles magazineOrange and is available in English, German and Turkish. Two native German language newspapers are published in Alanya, theAktuelle Türkei Rundschau andAlanya Bote for the community of German speaking residents and visitors. A monthly magazineHello Alanya published in Alanya for foreigners, appearing in English and Dutch.[124] The free regional newspaper, Riviera News, is printed in English and is widely available in Alanya.
Five radio stations broadcast from the city.[36] AlanyaFM Radyo broadcasts on 106.0 FM and is partnered with Radio Flash, on 94.0 FM, both broadcastingpopular music. Other stations include Alanya RadyoTime on 92.3 FM, which broadcasts a variety of Turkish music, news, and talk programming.[125] Two television stations are local to Alanya, Kanal Alanya, and Alanya Televizyonu, abbreviated ATV, which is partnered with Alanya RadyoTime.[126][127]
Alanya Marina was opened in 2010 at a cost of $10 million with space for 437 boats.[128]
TheD 400 Highway, the Alanya–Mersin Route, connects Alanya from the east and west, encircling it, and linking through the city center via Atatürk Bulvarı. The D695, the Ankara–Akşehir Route, runs north–south and reaches the sea 41 kilometres (25 mi) west of the city near Side, connecting with the D400.Antalya Airport is 121 kilometres (75 mi) away and connects internationally. The newAntalya Gazipaşa Airport, first begun in 1992, is only 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) from the city, and was expected to have its first regular domestic flights on May 22, 2010, although international flights were not expected before the start of the 2011 tourist season.[129] No train routes go to Alanya orAntalya Province, and there are no train stations in the district.[130]
There are bus anddolmuş systems out of Alanya's two bus depots, but buses are usually limited to the major roads, and inside the city transportation is by car, taxi, or foot, as many roads in the old town are closed to vehicle traffic. The harbor includes cruise ship piers, and also seasonalferries andhydrofoils depart forKyrenia in theTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.[131] Cruise ships docking at Alanya have increased 50% in 2013, with 53 estimated to have brought 56,000 passengers the end of the year.[132] Further west of the city is the Alanya Marina, which started services in 2008 while still under construction,[133] completing its expansion in 2010.[128] The 85-km2 (33-sq-mi) marina allowed Alanya to participate in the 2008 Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally.[134][135] The city is also investing in acommunity bicycle program with 150 bicycles and twenty terminals.[136]
Women's teams in the 2006 beach volleyball tournament
Alanya is home to awoman'sbasketball team, Alanya Belediye, which started in thefirst division but was relegated after the 2002 season. The city hosts aSüper Ligsoccer team,Alanyaspor. The club was founded in 1948, and play home games at Milli Egemenlik Stadium. It played in theSecond League between 1988-1997 and 2014–2016. The club finally promoted to top level in 2015–16 season where they have played in to this day. In 2007, the city began constructing a new soccer facility with the intention of hosting winter competitions between major teams.[137] The public Alanya Municipality Sports Facility is located adjacent to Milli Egemenlik Stadium, which is one of thirteen facilities.[138][139]
Alanya's waterfront location makes it suitable for certain events, and is perhaps most famous for its annualtriathlon, part of theInternational Triathlon Union series, which has been held every October since 1990.[140]Marathon swimming competitions have also been connected to the triathlon since 1992.[141] Building on the triathlon's success, Alanya hosted amodern pentathlon in 2009.[142] Alanya is also the regular host of The Turkish Open, part of theNestea EuropeanBeach Volleyball championship tour, which takes place in May.[143] In 2007, theTurkish Volleyball Federation persuaded theEuropean Volleyball Confederation to build a beach volleyball training facility in Alanya, and make it the exclusive "center of beach volleyball in Europe".[144]
The city is also a frequent host to national events, such as the annual beachhandball tournament.[145] Alanya is the traditional finish site of the seven-dayPresidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, though organizers reversed the route in 2012, and started the event in Alanya instead.[146] Other cycling events include the Alanya International Mountain Bike Race.[147] Additionally, theEuropean Cycling Union had its 2010 European road cycling championship and 2010 ordinary congress meeting in Alanya.[148]
The most significant tie is with the city ofNea Ionia, where many of Alanya's Christians wereresettled in 1923 after theTreaty of Lausanne. Alanya is twinned with:[150]
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