TURKEY ALANYA -ICKALE (CITADEL)

ICKALE (CITADEL)

On top of the peninsula jutting into the Mediterranean, within the confines of the fortress walls, on the site of the magnificent palace of Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, sits the citadel. Opposite the ruins of the palace is a small church. This clover plan church dates to the 6^th small church. This clover plan church dates to the 6^th century.

 The church stands as proof of the religious tolerance that prevailed during the Seljuk Sultanate. On the cliffs behind the church is viewing terrace called “ Seyirlik” which offer magnificent vistas of the shores of Alanya as well as the Taurus Mountains. The citadel occasionally houses arts and crafts exhibitions.

An interesting story is attached to the Ickale. According to this story, the cistern that sits in from the cliff edge is known as the : Throwing Platform :. The cistern, which is 15 metres deep, was also used to hold prisoners condemned to death. 

The story goes  that every condemned man had the right to throw 3 stones from the platform. Of one of their stones fell into the water without first touching the cliff face, the condemned man was reprieved. Otherwise, they were placed in a sack and thrown over the cliff.

 Although this gave prisoners hope of reprieve, the layout of cistern, cliff and sea made it impossible to successfully throw to the water. So there was actually no real chance for any condemned to escape a horrible end.

SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE

In 1321, Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat of the Seljuk Empire commissioned a mosque just outside the Ickale. This mosque later collapsed and in the 16^th century, Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent of the Ottoman Empire. , commissioned to rebuild the old mosque. It is also known as the “ Alaaddin  Mosque” and the “ Kale Mosque”. The mosque, built in rough stone over a square plan, has a single minaret and a tile clad dome seated on an octagonal drum. It features exquisite examples of Ottoman era woodcarving.

BEDESTEN (COVERED BAZAAR)

The Bedesten (Secured Bazaar for valuable merchandise) is situated near the Suleymaniye Mosque and it is believed to have been built during the 14^th or 15^th centuries, during the reign of Karamanoglu Principality, as a covered bazaar or caravanserai. The building has a rectangular plan and is built with cut stone. 

There are 26 rooms and a rectangular courtyard. At present it serves as a hotel, restaurant and café. A massive cistern underneath the building can be reached by stairs. Its gardens have splendid views on both ends extending from the Fortress to the Mediterranean Sea and Taurus Mountains.

EHMEDEK (MIDDLE BATTLEMENTS)

On a flat area looking north within the Alanya Fortress is a jumbled group of building known as “ Ehmedek”. The name may be derived from the name of its builder in the Seljuk Period or from its being builder in the Seljuk Period or from its being a fortified area. 

Two separate defensive structures, each crowned by 3 towers, were strategically positioned to defend the palace of the sultan against any land attack. The walls bear depictions of ships from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The battlements were further protected by walls built on its north and east faces. The complex also features 3 cisterns, a small bathhouse and diverse dwellings.

AKSEBE SULTAN MASJID

In 1230, Aksebe Sultan, the first commander of Alanya Fortress during the reign of Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat, commissioned these masjid just 100 metres away from the Suleymaniye Mosque. In the building are 2 square –planned roomd built with dressed stone walls, lined on the inside with brickwork and topped with a brick dome. 

One of these rooms is the masjid and the other is the tomb containing the grave of Aksebe Sultan and 3 other graves. There are indications that the walls of its apse were clad in tile. The inscription read as follows: “God knows the mysteries of the earth and heavens. The God’s masjid could only be built by those who have faith in Him and the Judgement Day. Humble Aksebe, a devotee of the God who needs His grace was instrumental in the building (of this masjid) in 1230 during the period of great sultan Alaaddin “. A few metres apart from the masjid, on a rough stone base, rises the cylindrical brick minaret. An unusual feature of this minaret is that it terminates at the Serefe ( Adhan latform ) level.