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 6th small church. This clover
plan church dates to the 6th 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 16th
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 14th
or 15th 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.
