TERSANE (DOCKYARD)
The Tersane
was built near the Kizilkule on the commission of Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat in
1227. The site was chosen to maximize the use of daylight, and the dockyard
consists of 5 bays, each covered by a pointed barrel vault and connection
passages spanned by pointed arches.
The entrance portal bears an inscription
adorned with with rosettes of the arms of Sultan Alaadin Keykubat.
This was
the first dockyard built by the Seljuk Sultanate in the Mediterranean and for
this reason it is of immense importance. When Sultan Alaadin Keykubat completed
both the Alanya Dockyard and the Sinop Dockyard on the Black Sea coast, he was
glorified as “the Sultan of 2 seas:. The dockyard has a masjid as well as guard
room and water well which is no longer in use. The Tersane can be reached by
boat or by walking over the walls from the Kizilkule.
TOPHANE (ARSENAL)
It was
built alongside the Tersane in 1227 in order to defend it from seaborne
attacks. It sits on a rock platform 10 metres above sea level. The building has
a rectangular plan and was built of cut stone. For a period, naval guns were
also cast here.
