Alanya: A Fantastic Holiday Destination

When history books are written, not every city can boast of pirates, queens, and great warlords gracing its pages – but Alanya can.

In its early years, Alanya was a small town founded by pirates, where inhabitants primarily made their living through agriculture and trade. The city, then called Coracesium, only truly began to grow when Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad conquered it in 1221. He initiated the construction of Alanya Castle and changed the city's name to Alaiye, meaning "Alaaddin's city." The name Alanya was first introduced in 1934, when the country's then-president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, visited the city. He disliked the name Alaiye and changed it to Alanya.

Other prominent guests include Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and the Roman emperor Antonius. According to legend, they spent their honeymoon in Alanya, after which Antonius gifted the area to his wife. Cleopatra then had the large forests cut down, and the timber was sent back to Egypt for building warships.

Today, Alanya has grown large and strong, becoming one of the most popular European travel destinations in Turkey. The locals now primarily earn their living from tourism, working hard from the beginning of the tourist season in April until it ends in October. The winter months are then used for relaxation or visiting family in other parts of Turkey. Many people voluntarily leave their wives and children for the entire summer season to work in Alanya.