Alanya is located on a little peninsula surrounded by the Toros
Mountains to its north and by the Mediterranean Sea to its south. Due to its
location between Pamphylia and Cilicia, the city was called both Pamphylia and
Cilicia in ancient times.
There is no definite information about the first settlement of Alanya.
In 1957, Professor Doctor Kilinc KÖKTEN, during the researches made 12 km away
from the centre of the city, near the cave of Kadiini, found remains which prove
that Alanya’s history can be traced back to the Upper Palaeolithic Era (BC
20.000 – 17.000).
There is no sufficient information about when and by whom Alanya was
founded. The oldest known name of the city is Korakesium. Later on in the
Byzantium era, its name formed into Kalanoros. In the 13th century, the
Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I (1200-1237) took control of the
city, giving it the name Alaya. Atatürk renamed the city as Alanya when he
visited in 1935. Korakesium was mentioned for the first time in the writings of
the ancient geographer Skilak back in the 4th century BC. At that time, a
significant portion of modern-day Anatolia was controlled by the Persians. In
later times, the city was visited by many historians, geographers, and
travellers such as Strabo, Piri Reis, Seyep, Ibn Battuta, and Evliya Çelebi;
all of whom described the city vividly in their books.
At
present, we don't have enough reliable information about the early history of
the Byzantine period of the city or of the region. It is known that in the 7th
century AD, the town was forced to defend itself from Arabic raids and for this
reason paramount importance was given to strengthening of the castle. Which is
why many castles and churches in Alanya and the surrounding areas date back to the
6th and 7th centuries AD.
The Anatolian Seljuk
Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I conquered the castle by defeating the Christian
ruler of Alanya, Warta Cyrus in 1221. Afterwards, the Sultan built a palace for
himself. The Seljuks used Alanya as a second capital after Konya, and as a
winter residence. Subsequently, Alanya was developed substantially.
The invasions of the Mughals in 1243 and the Egyptian Mamluks in 1277
seriously undermined the power of the Seljuks. In 1300, the Seljuk State
collapsed. The region was sold to one of the Mamluk Sultans by the
Karamanoğulları Dynasty for five thousand Altin's. Subsequently, in 1471,
during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror, the city became part of the Ottoman
Empire.
In 1571 Alanya, together with Tarsus joined the Eyalet of Cyprus, and in
1864 became part of the province of Konya. In 1868, Alanya was attached to
Antalya, and in 1871 it officially became a district of the province of
Antalya.
Alanya, together with Tarsus joined the state of Cyprus in 1571, while in 1864, it become the sanjak (county) of the province of Konya. The city joined Antalya in 1868, and in 1871 it became a county of the province.
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