Alanya is a historical city of rare beauty, which hosted pirates in ancient times, feudal lords during the Byzantine period, and finally rose to the capital during the Anatolian Seljuks period.

Alanya was located between Pamphylia and Cilicia in ancient times. According to Herodotus, the people of this region are descendants of people who dispersed to Anatolia after the Trojan War.

In the research conducted (Kadıini Cave-1957), it was understood that the first settlement dates back to the Upper Paleolithic Period, 20 thousand years ago.

Its first known name in history is Coracesium. It was invaded by the Persians in the 4th century BC. Later it became a haven for pirates. In 139 BC, the Seleucid Empire invaded the city. But even after that, the city could not avoid being a shelter for pirates. The city, which was annexed to the Roman Empire by the Roman commander Magnus Pompeius in 65 BC, was named Kalonoros, meaning “beautiful mountain”, during the Byzantine period after the collapse of Rome.

The city experienced its brightest days during the reign of Alaaddin Keykubat. Today’s castle, shipyard and many of the structures still standing are from that period.

In 1931, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Alaiye, although it was not in his program, and in response to this gesture, the mayor of the time, Hüseyin Hacıkadiroğlu, sent a telegram on behalf of the people of Alaiye to the ship on which Atatürk was traveling after the visit, conveying the love, respect and devotion of the people of Alaiye. However, since all the telegrams sent from land to ship at that time were transmitted via Çanakkale, Alaiye’s name was mistakenly written as Alanya in the telegram that reached Atatürk. Realizing this, Atatürk instructed that the name of Sultan Alaaddin’s city be changed to Alanya. During the Republic period, by the order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the city was named Alanya.