Alanya - a city with many different faces
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Already far away you can recognize the salient silhouette of the landmark Alanyas: the big castle hill, crowned from the castle. Already in the 2nd century before Chr. there were Pirates, who had established the first castle, which was destroyed by the Romans (see also "history"). On the left and on the right of the mountain on which also the " old Alanya " rises on a massive scale of the usual construction sins: hotel towers and blocks of flats... this is the disadvantage of the rapid growth of the city: Alanya has no picturesque city center, because once there were only some houses stood scattered in the fruit (especially banana) fields, before the tourism discovered the city and life began to change - unfortunately, at a time, when no one thougt on "slow tourism".... |
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But Alanya also has other faces: for example, the old district of Tophane (picture left) below the castle. Here no new houses may be builded, some of the hundreds of years old houses old were restored just freshly and in others the turkish people live like many years before.... The close alleys emanate a peace and timeless calmness which allows to appear me by scooter as an anachronism. This part Alanyas opens its atmosphere only by walking - slow walking.... Also a lot of older and newer small green oases in the city (on the right the small park with beautiful water landscapes near the Atatürk monument) invite in order to stay. |
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Since
Winter 2002 was much happened with the city: the city is like new... At
last the bazaar is finished and is laid out with red stones which do not
seal the ground any more, so rain water can flow in the botton and not
in the shops. Winter guests can remember that they had to wade with rain
immediately by small ponds, because the sealed marble surface let pass
no drop.... The new cover is also non-skid at last, quite important for
older and not completely sure walkers.
In the east of the castle hill the whole beach side of the main street
was converted into a long "park" which begins with a public,
very beautiful pool and invites to long walks under palm trees. Beautyful
iron peace benches, noble stone mosaics and the integrated old trees...
it seems like to be in the old, noble bathing resorts of the Mediteranean
sea of France or Italy. Also on the other side of the castle hill, at
the cleopatra beach and Damlatas cave, everything has changed. There is
a lot formed again with love and so no one is missing an old part of town...
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Some call Alanya" Mallorca of the Turkish Riviera ", and if you look at the discos and pubs along the harbour, this seems to be absoluteloy right. But it is a distance of a few hundred meters on which discos and bars are found like the "Zapfhahn", "Bellmann", " James Dean " and other. But a little bit further you can find the places where many young Turks meet in the evening. There are many locations, some "open air" with good turkish livemusic - every evening! Alanya is not only with foreigners a popular vacation place, also many young Turks (especially sudents from Ankara and Istanbul) spend here their holidays or sometimes only a weekend. The newest bar is the "Latin Bar" on the roof of the "Robin Hood Bar" at the harbour.... Cocktails, Palms, latinamerican sound and the spectacular view over the sea makes this bar to a "MUST-VISIT-PLACE" in Alanya! Every friday you can learn the first steps of latin dances... guarantee for best summer feeling!
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Beach |
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Alanya has more than 26 kms of beach, so you can find a "relatively" quiet little place even in the high season - but a little bit outside and just no service. Directly in the city you find the cleopatra beach beyond the castle hill, fine-sandy, relatively cleanly and the closer you walk to the castle hill, the fuller is the. As empty as on the photo on the rightthis beach is only in winter or in the early - very early - morning.... We prefer the part of the beach in the west of Alanya, at the end of the city, opposite the big "opet" advertising. Nearest hotel is "Melissa", the number of the beach bar is 21. There it´s quiet even in August, the beach is not stony, no rocks. Only disadvantage: this part is not suitable for non-swimmers, the water gets deep very fast. |
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The Eastern side of the castle is called the "Keykubat beach" - Here are cliff plates in the water and the beach is often stony directly in the water. Nice it is at the height of the beach bars (for example Maren Beach or Cemali) because beverages or also dinners are served at the beach and you ca use the toilets and showers of the restaurants Since the new promenade is built, this part of the beach will experience a revaluation, now, nevertheless, it is much better than still last year.... Further in the east becomes the beach always stony, is not managed any more and, unfortunately, not very clean also partly any more exept the beach parts which are watched by the big hotels in this direction.
if
you are looking for a quiet place on the beach,
you can go by taxi or Dolmus in the " Ulas Dinlenme " which
is a few kilometer outside from Alanya. The beach is nice and you can
also have a barbecue one there. But don´t walk to this beach on
sunday, then it´s full with grilling, playing and loud speaking
turkish families.
Environment
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The Taurus mountains immediately begin directly behind the last houses. You find fantastic views of the far away sea, steep ravines, vertiginous zigzags and a delightfully clear air so closely by the city like certainly nowhere else. In the early spring a fresh and clear atmosphere is there at the top, in the early morning fog patches still hang in the shady corners and the dew glitters in the morning sun. For Alanya rather unusual is the silence which you find here.... In summer still comes another advantage: there at the top it is always cooler than below by the sea, even at the end of March it can still be that one finds isolated snow spots. |
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To all chapters you find still more detailed Info's in the respective columns.
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