TURKEY ALANYA -HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FEATURES

HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL FEATURES

MUSEUMS

ATATURK’S HOUSE MUSEUM

The house where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, stayed during his visit to Alanya on 18 February 1935 was donated by its owner Mr Tevik Azakoglu to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The building, converted into a museum in 1987, is a 3 storey mansion house set in a garden and displays the features of the 19^th century Turkish architecture. 

On the ground floor of the museum is an exhibition including the personal belongings of Ataturk, as well as photographs of his visit, a telegram sent by him to the people of Alanya and other historical documents. The upper floor is decorated with the ethnographic items of a traditional Alanya house.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

The Archaeological Museum of Alanya exhibits bronze, marble terra –cotta glass artefacts, mosaic and coin collections belonging to the Archaic and Classical ages, Roman and Byzantine periods and also Turkish –Islamic works of art from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.In the Archaeology section of the museum, a stone inscription in Phoenician language dating to 625 BC, the oldest artefact in the museum, catches the attention. The most famous work in the museum is that cast bronze statue of the mythological hero Heracles, dating to the 2^nd century BC.

The ethnography department exhibits items collected from the environs of Alanya, reflecting the folkloric aspects of the region, such as Yoruk (nomadic people) kilims, sacks woven from goat’s hair, saddlebags, dresses and clothing items , samples of embroidery , arms , kitchenware and table tableware for daily use, jewellery , manuscripys and writing tool as well as a period room representing daily life in an Alanya house. The museum’s garden is an open air exhibit of stoneware from the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. The museum is open daily except Mondays.

KIZILKULE ETHNOGRAPY MUSEUM

In 1226, the Seljuk Sultan Alaadin Keykubat commissioned the master builder, Ebu Ali Reha al-Kattani, a native of Halep ( Aleppo), who had previously rebuilt to Sinop Fortress, to construct what would come to be known as the Kizilkule ( Red Tower). The tower’s name derives from the colour of its construction materials: Baked red bricks were used for the upper storeys. 

The tower has an octagonal plan, where the walls on each edge are 12.5 metres long and the diameter of the base circle is 29 metres long and the diameter of the base circle is 29 metres. The height of the building is 33 metres. It has 5 storeys / access to the upper floors is through a high riser stone staircase with 85 steps. The tower has a central cistern and skylights aloow sunlight to reach the first floor. The Kizilkule was built to protect the harbor and dockyard from sea-born attacks, a purpose it served for centuries.

The Kizilkule now functions as the Ethnography Museum. The ground floor and first floor of the 5 storey tower are refurbished and constitute the museum. The historical building is also used for cultural and artistic activities, such as painting exhibitions or classical music concerts. From the top floor of the tower, the vista of the county and the bay is enchanting.