MUSEUMS

There are four museums in Alanya: the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnography Museum, the Inner Castle Museum, and the Atatürk House Museum. All museums are affiliated with the Alanya Museum Directorate and can be visited for an entrance fee. Except for the lunch break, the museums are open to visitors every day of the week.

One of Alanya’s most valuable artifacts is the statue of Heracles displayed in the Archaeological Museum. The Red Tower at the harbour has been arranged as the Ethnography Museum. The Inner Castle, where Alaaddin Keykubat had his palace built at the summit of the castle while rebuilding the city in the 13th century, is also open to visitors as a museum.

Archaeological Museum
Alanya Archaeological Museum was opened with artifacts from the Bronze Age, Urartu, Phrygian, and Lydian periods brought from the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. In later years, the museum expanded and became richer with artifacts unearthed during excavations in the region.

The museum also contains Turkish-Islamic works from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Its most important artifact is the statue of Heracles, a figure with a dramatic story in mythology. The bronze-cast statue of Heracles, dated to the 2nd century AD, is displayed in a separate hall.

In the ethnography section, objects collected from around Alanya and reflecting the folkloric characteristics of the region are exhibited, including nomadic rugs, saddlebags, woven bags, clothing, embroidery samples, weapons, daily-use vessels, jewelry, manuscripts, and writing sets. A daily room arrangement from an old Alanya house is also displayed. In the museum garden, there are stone artifacts from the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods. The museum is open every day of the week and entrance is subject to a fee.

Ethnography Museum
The Red Tower, a 13th-century Seljuk monument located at the harbour, is also used as the Ethnography Museum. The entrance and first floor of the five-story tower have been arranged as museum areas.

The museum displays ethnographic works such as carpets, rugs, clothing, kitchenware, weapons, weighing instruments, lighting tools, weaving looms, and tents reflecting the Yörük Turkmen culture of the Taurus Mountains. Entrance to the Red Tower is subject to a fee.

Inner Castle Museum
The Inner Castle Museum is located at the summit of the peninsula extending into the Mediterranean, inside the historical castle. Excavation works are still ongoing in the area.

In the Inner Castle, a cistern located above a cliff is known as “Adam Atacağı.” According to legend, those sentenced to death were allowed to throw three stones into the sea from this point. If the stones reached the sea without hitting the slope, the sentence would be pardoned; otherwise, the condemned person would be placed in a sack and thrown down the cliff. Entrance to the Inner Castle is subject to a fee.

Atatürk House Museum
The Atatürk House Museum is the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, stayed for a while during his visit to Alanya on February 18, 1935.

The three-story building, located in a garden and reflecting the features of 19th-century Turkish architecture, displays Atatürk’s personal belongings, photographs, the telegram he sent to the people of Alanya, and other historical documents on the ground floor. The rooms on the upper floor are furnished with ethnographic items of a traditional Alanya house. The Atatürk House Museum, located in the city center, can be visited for an entrance fee.