Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat conquered
Alanya after a long siege of five years and commissioned the construction of the
Kızılkule for the defence of the
Alanya Shipyard. This monumental building erected in the year 1226 is one of the unique examples of the
Seljuk Art and is the symbol of
Alanya. The 33 meter high five storey tower was built in octagonal form. Among the characteristics of the tower there are the windows in form of longitudinal openings found all over the tower. The soldiers could easily shoot onto the enemies from these openings without becoming open targets for their enemies. If the enemies came closer without being shot, than the soldiers were pouring boiling water or similar things from these windows. The tower was restored between 1951-1953. In the year 1979 the basement of the tower gained the function of an ethnography museum where carpets, rugs, clothing, pots and pans, guns, scales, lightning equipment, weaving loom and a tent reflecting
Yörük culture , all specific to Alanya are exhibited. The picture of the
Tower has been printed on the reverse side of the 250.000 TL notes which are still in circulation.
Kızılkule may be visited daily between 10.00-17.00 hours.
