The imposing fortifications surrounding the citadel rather belie Alanya's international historical importance. The bustling modern tourist city nestled beneath the slopes of the Taurus mountains to the north does not feature particularly large in the pages of world history. It has though at times taken on certain regional significance, and this has resulted in the abundant historical treasures to be found in and around its confines.

Remnants found in the Kadrini cave in 1957, a few kilometers away from the present day city centre indicate there has been human activity on the site now occupied by Alanya for the last 17 000 years or so. The first mention of the ancient name, Coracesium, was made by the 4th century BC geographer, Skylaks. At that time the city was under Persian control and on the edge of the region known as Pamphylia. Indeed, throughout history the city has switched between the historical regions of Pamphylia and Cilicia and has been influenced by the cultures of both.

The city's location, hemmed in by mountains but accessible by sea and with a harbour protected by an easily fortified peninsula, meant it could be defended by a reasonably small force. Around 197 BC, the violent pirate chieftan Diodotus Tryphon made Coracesium the base for his slaving activities, hostage taking and general piracy. His influence lasted until his defeat by Antiochus VII in 139 BC. This however did not curtail the piracy and in 67 BC the Romans, finally exasperated by increasingly brazen attacks threatening their authority in the area, despatched General Pompey to rid the Anatolian coastline of its pirate fleet in a land and sea campaign against them. His fleet pursued the corsairs along the Anatolian coast until they became hemmed in within the harbour, ripe for destruction. The pirate fortress was also razed to the ground thus preventing the quick re-establishment of any unofficial force.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, control of the region was passed to Marcus Antonius. His lover was, as we all know, the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra. She was a frequent visitor to the area and in 37 BC, he gave Coracesium to her as a wedding gift. It is said that Cleopatra cut down the cedars and pines leading down to the coast for use in building her own naval fleet back in Egypt. Her legacy remains in the naming of Cleopatra Beach after her.

Very little is known of the town, now known as Kolonoros, during the Byzantine period into which empire the city passed following the fall of the Roman empire in the 5th century AD. Christianity was now the dominant religion of the area and this exhibited itself in the proliferation of small chapels and churches within the citadel walls, most of which date from around the 7th C. The town was also subject to repeated harrying by Arab forces resulting in the strengthening of its defences.

The 13th century saw Alanya's cultural and strategic peak with the arrival of the Seljuk Turks. Already in decline in the west of what is now modern Turkey due to the crusades and the influx of newer Turcoman tribes fleeing marauding Mongols, there remained in Anatolia several principalities run by lesser Seljuk clans. These strengthened through intermarriage and a capital was established in Konya. Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat I of Rum, who ascended the throne in 1220 sought to reinforce his defences and ordered that 19 cities in Anatolia be reconstructed and modernised, taking an active part in their planning and design.

Identifying Kolonoros as being of strategic importance in that it was the only harbour and landing place for the inland capital of Konya, Alaaddin mounted a campaign in 1221 to win control of it from 8its Christian ruler, Kyr Vart, who had himself only taken the city in 1204 from the weakened Byzantines. By besieging the city from land and sea, defeat was inevitable and realising this, Kyr Vart surrendered without a fight. Alaaddin married Kyr Vart's daughter who converted to Islam. He also changed the name of the city to Alaiyye, after himself and made it his winter retreat and second capital. Thus began Alanya's golden age.

Most of the ancient landmarks still visible in Alanya date from this period. Kizil Kule, the Red Tower and Alanya's most recognisable symbol, was begun almost immediately, as were the new city walls, although in places they used some of the earlier Hellenistic remains. The Red Tower, so-called because of the red sun-baked bricks used in its construction was originally built to guard the harbour. Octagonal in form, it was designed by the architect Abu Ali of Aleppo and stands 33 metres high and 29 metres in diameter. It was restored between 1951 and 1953 and now houses a small ethnographical museum containing many examples of local handicrafts and costumes. The city wall begins and ends at the Red Tower. However its route is some 6.4 km in length and features 140 towers and 400 cisterns as well as frescos and doors complete with inscriptions as it zig-zags its way around the peninsula. Within the walls are many buildings and items of interest including the inner castle itself, a caravanserai, mosques, mausoleum, baths and a Byzantine chapel; the latter suggesting the Seljuks exercised a degree of religious tolerance. In stark contrast, at the north-western corner of the inner castle there is a platform from which condemned prisoners were hurled to their deaths onto the rocks below by catapults.

150 metres to the south of Kizil Kule is the tersane, or shipyard, dating from the same period. It's the only surviving shipyard of this vintage in Turkey and consists of five interconnected arched vaults, 40m in depth and with a total frontage of 57m. Large vessels of up to 43m in length and 7m beam could be built there. Guarding the tersane is Tophane, or the arsenal tower, a two storied building where cannon were cast during later periods. Also nearby is the Damlatas cave where the humidity and air quality (approximately 10-12 times as much carbon doixide as normal air) is said to be beneficial to asthma sufferers; indeed, there are early morning opening times especially for asthmatics.

From 1243 onwards, the frequent Mongol raids and invasion by the Egyptian Mamelukes seriously weakened the Seljuk empire until it disintegrated in 1300. The 14th century was a particularly confusing period for Alaiye. In the early part of the century it was under the control of the Karamanogullari. In 1361 it was annexed to the Kingdom of the Cypriot King Pierre but later returned.

In 1427, the Karamanaoglu dynasty sold Alaiye to the Mamelukes for 5000 gold pieces. In 1471 Sultan Mehmet II (The Conqueror), expanding the burgeoning Ottoman empire eastwards, took Alaiye and it was annexed to the province of Anatolia; a slight irony in this as the Ottomans were descendants of Osman, one of the Seljuk rulers displaced in the 13th century. Apart from several administrative changes, such as in 1571 when it once again became part of the province of Cyprus, the next 500 years were relatively peaceful as Alanya gradually lost its importance as a trading port with the opening up of internal trade routes. On the 18th of February 1935, the father of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, visited the city and renamed it Alanya. The house in which he rested during that visit was donated to the Ministry of Culture and is now the Ataturk House Museum.

Alanya received its first real tourist in 1330/31 when the renowned Islamic traveller, Ibn Battuta landed there on his way to Konya. He later wrote, "The city of Alaiye is a large town on the seacoast. It is inhabited by Turkomans and is visited by the merchants of Cairo, Alexandria, and Syria. The district is well-wooded and wood is exported from there to Alexandria and Damietta, whence it is carried to the other cities of Egypt. There is a magnificent and formidable citadel, built by Sultan Alaeddin at the upper end of the town." He also went on to praise the local Anatolian hospitality, something that has not changed over the intervening years.

Over the centuries, many travellers and explorers have visited the city, drawn by the richness of its antiquities but it wasn't until around 20 years ago that the tourist trade started in earnest, fuelled by money returning into the local economy from abroad. Consequently, many of the hotels are of friendly, modest sizes and with very modern amenities. These days tourists are also attracted by the huge beaches, crystal clear water and cosmopolitan nightlife. The fascinating contrast of ancient and modern will continue to attract tourists from across the globe for many years to come.