Alanya Alanya is a beach resort city and a district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. It is 166 kilometers or 103 miles from the city of Antalya on the southern coast of Turkey. the district (which includes the city and its built-up area) has an area of 1,598.51 km2 and (2000 Census) 257,671 inhabitants. The population is mainly Turkish, but is also home to around 10,000 others who are Europeans. The Mediterranean climate, natural attractions, and historic heritage makes Alanya a popular destination for tourism - thus making it responsible for nine percent of Turkey's tourism sector and thirty percent of foreign purchases of real estate in Turkey. Tourism has risen since 1958 to become the dominant industry in the city, resulting in a corresponding increase in city population. Warm-weather sporting events and cultural festivals take place annually in Alanya. Since the first modern hotel was built in 1958 - considered the first year of the tourist industry in Alanya - hotels have raced to accommodate the influx of tourists and the city as of 2007 claimed 157,000 hotel beds. Damlataş Cave, which originally sparked the arrival of outsiders because of the cave's microclimate, with an average temperature of 72 °F (22 °C) and 95% humidity, is accessible on the west side of the peninsula with trails from Damlataş Beach. Many tourists, especially Scandinavians, Germans, Russians, and Dutch, regularly holiday in Alanya during the warmer months. They are drawn to the area because of the property prices, warm weather, sandy beaches, access to Antalyas historic sites and the fine Turkish cuisine. Because of its natural strategic position on a small peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea, below the Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many Mediterranean-based empires including the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. Alanya's greatest political importance came in the Middle Ages with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm under the rule of Alaeddin Kayqubad I - from whom the city derives its name. His building campaign resulted in many of the city's landmarks such as the Kızıl Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (the Shipyard), and Alanya Castle.
Alanya
