TurkishHamaxia (Fly Castle) Ancient City
Hamaxia, which is located within the borders of Elikesik Village, 7 km from Alanya, has very well-preserved walls, various house ruins, a large structure thought to have been converted into a church in the late period, a tower, a fountain, an Exedra with 11 inscriptions. There is a Necropolis among the walls. The city, which has features from the Roman and Byzantine periods, has traces from the 1st century A.D.
Syedra Ancient City
Syedra is a city that entered the historical scene in the 3rd century B.C. on the Mersin Road, 18 km from Alanya. When you climb the city, which was built on a hill, the great fatigue and troubles you have experienced disappear in an instant in the face of the view consisting of the Alanya peninsula extending into the deep blue waters and the lace-like walls forming the Castle. Among the ruins belonging to the Hellenistic age, there are baths, a porticoed road, tombs bearing traces of frescoes and the ruins of a palace where magnificent moments were experienced. It is understood from the inscription found in the region that the Syedrans were disturbed by pirates and therefore needed the help and advice of the gods, and that they had requests regarding prophecy for the future. The lintel of the monumental gate that provides entrance to the city still maintains its magnificence intact. To the right of the entrance gate, there is a triple irrigation system in the form of terracing in accordance with the natural structure. The fact that the pools that make up the irrigation system are used even today is actually a proof of technology from centuries ago. The water is provided from a source coming from a nearby cave, and the entrance to the cave, which has long corridors inside, is covered with stones in the form of a vault. The ruins of a very magnificent two-story building in the east of the city are actually the city’s bathhouse, which has mosaic remains on its floor in places. As you walk along the columned street, which extends from north to south, where kings and queens used to walk, right across from the bathhouse, you feel as if you are overwhelmed by that harmonious atmosphere. The western side of the street is covered with walls and niches have been made to place statues on the walls, and stone bases have been placed. The columns on the other side of the street are made of blackish granite with Corinthian capitals. An honorary inscription found in the city shows that the floors of most of the structures in Syedra, where there is a public assembly and a senate, are decorated with mosaics. The mosaic shows that mosaics have a special place in the city, with 3 girls representing the 3 beauties in mythology and a boy who is thought to symbolize Paris.
Leartes Ancient City
Leartes, founded 850 meters above Cebeli Reis Mountain rising at the mouth of the Dim Valley in the Taurus Mountains, is another important city in mountainous Cilicia. It is understood from the inscription on a statue base belonging to the Roman Emperor Vespasian that the name of the city, which experienced its brightest period between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, was Leartes. The two-story watchtowers are the striking structures of the city. The Agora, where sports competitions are held on the plain in the western part of the city, is bordered by rows of shops to the west, a bathhouse to the south and an Exedra to the north. At the northern end of the agora, the Exedra stands out with its eagle claws and decorations on the semicircular seating rows. In the northernmost part, there is the Caesar temple built during the reign of Claudius.
Iotape (Aytap) Ancient City
This city, named in memory of Antichus’ wife Iotape, dates back to 38-72 AD on the 26th km of the Gazipaşa road in the east of Alanya. The ancient city has a natural harbor of 50-100 m. When you climb the castle built on a very high hill in the shape of a peninsula, albeit with difficulty, and when you climb to the top of this castle surrounded by walls and look around, you will see on one side lush banana gardens, natural beaches, the blues of the Mediterranean in various shades, plant species you have never seen or known, and on the other side, ancient streets, baths, churches, necropolises and acropolises, masterpieces left by people who lived thousands of years ago, which were meticulously built, and will take their place in your memory as an ornament to your memories.
Other Ancient Cities
Justinianopolis (Karaburun), Augea (Konaklı), Naula (Mahmutlar), Ptolemaios (Fuğla), Pisarissos (Esentepe), Marassos (Büyükpınar).