TurkishHISTORY OF ALANYA
The human skeletons and fossils found in the Kadıini Cave, which forms the border between Bademağacı Village and Oba Town in the northeast of our district, in 1957, definitely confirm that our beautiful Alanya has been a cradle for humankind. For those who want to see this beautiful cave, you can reach the Kadıpınarı Picnic by Cikcilli Hacıbaba road. After resting, eating and drinking at that beautiful picnic, climbing that steep hill, even though it is difficult, and visiting this beautiful cave, I think will take you back thousands of years. Alanya, the heir of such a rich history that goes so deep, has sometimes been considered a Cilicia and sometimes a Pamphylia land due to its location. The father of history Herodotus wrote the following for this region: “The people living in this region came and settled here after the Trojan War (1820 BC), and it is known that various tribes here hosted the newcomers.” From this sentence, it is seen that the Hittites came to this region and killed about six thousand people in the first half of the 14th century BC and annexed Cilicia and Pamphylia to themselves. Pamphylia is a word meaning “multi-ethnic, multi-gendered”. The fertility of our district’s lands, the density of its forests, and the steep slopes of the Taurus Mountains, which form an insurmountable barrier to the coastline, attracted the attention of those passing through this region and kept many of them to this beautiful town. Don’t we see this to be the case today? As of today, we all know that the number of Europeans who settled in Alanya has reached 5/6 thousand. In fact, the Alanya Municipality has reserved a special cemetery for them. Since Alanya became a settlement for humankind, it has survived to the present day with four known names. These are;
CORACESUM :
Between 2241-188 BC, although all of Cilicia was invaded by Antiochus the Great, it preserved its independence due to the difficulty of sieging and taking Coracesium. Even when Coracesium went so far as to challenge the Syrian Kingdom, they set out to sea and started piracy, which was an easy way to make money at that time. During this period, Coracesium preserved its independence but remained under the influence of Greek Civilization. For example, the phalluses and teardrops found in many church areas in Syedra Castle confirm this idea. Coracesium became a place that spread fear in its surroundings in the hands of a pirate leader named Tryphon. In fact, this pirate leader built a thick wall with large stones without mortar from the place where the current Arab Saints are located to Ehmedek in order to strengthen himself even more. This notorious pirate chief used this natural cave, which we now call Kızlar Yarığı or Korsanlar Cave, as a robbery depot. It is also rumored that he made a breach between today’s Damlataş Cave and the Municipality Palace, turning Alanya Castle Coracesium into an island. See what the 13th century Iranian historian Ibn Bibi says about this subject: “It has an iron moat and a marble fortress.” At that time, they had the courage to infiltrate the coastlines of the Roman Empire, which was a powerful state, and take ransom from the rich, kidnap the daughters of famous people and impose tribute on those around them. Because of this situation, no one could sail to the Mediterranean, and for this reason the city of Rome fell into great difficulties in terms of food. With the idea that the people would be relieved of these difficulties as soon as possible, in 13th century B.C. In 139, after a war started by Antiochus, this powerful and fierce pirate leader was destroyed. When the pirates, who became stronger again in time, started to spread fear in the Mediterranean, this time the Roman Empire assigned Antonius with broad authority to achieve a decisive result. (103 BC) Despite Antonius expanding the borders of the empire, the pirates, who were trying to regain their former power every passing day, continued to plunder many cities and towns on the Mediterranean coastline. The pirates went even further and infuriated the Romans by kidnapping the daughter of Antonius, who was assigned to destroy them. Believing that robberies, ransoms and kidnappings had to end, the Roman Empire assigned Pompeus, one of the powerful commanders of the army, this time. With the relentless attacks he carried out by land and sea, this commander eliminated the pirates who had been spreading fear in the Mediterranean for years, so that they would never grow stronger again. The Romans, who had complete control over these regions, gave the Cilicia region to Antonius after the death of Cesar. At that time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, who was famous for her beauty all over the world, encountered Antonius while on a Mediterranean tour, which turned everything upside down. Cleopatra and Antonius fell in love and got married. Antonius gave Amaxia (Fly Castle in Elikesik) to his wife as a wedding gift. It is known that Cleopatra had the cedar and pine forests in this beautiful city cut down and transported to Egypt to be used in shipbuilding for her navy. Extremely angry with this situation, Octavius, her rival in Rome, declared war on them. In the meantime, Cleopatra and Antonius, who were in Greece, were subjected to a major attack by Octavius. The two lovers, who found salvation in escaping, were chased by Octavius until they reached Alexandria. Realizing that he would be caught, Antonius then committed suicide by having Cleopatra bite her breast with a snake. The places that were burned and destroyed by Pompeius during the purge of the pirates were rebuilt by the Romans in the best possible way. After being rebuilt by the Romans, Coracesium (Alanya), which maintained its importance until the 7th century AD, increased its importance even more when the Arab attacks began after this date. During the Byzantine period, it was called Kolonoros, meaning “Beautiful Mountain”. It is said that its old name, Coracesium, also meant “Gökkarga” and that the people living here were called “Gökkargalılar”. Today, it is on the verge of extinction, but it is still seen in the towns of Kestel and Mahmutlar, albeit rarely. When the small cities in these regions lost their naval power, Coracesium, Amaksiya, Laerti, Cıbyra İotape and Siyedra cities disappeared one by one.
KOLORONOS:
During the raids of the Islamic State against all Roman residents, Kolonoros maintained its independence due to the difficulty of taking it. Some historians claim that the Arabs came here, and even describe the Sitti Zeynep Tomb as a work that proves this claim. For this reason, they claim that the tomb belongs to Zeynep, the granddaughter of Hazreti Hüseyin. Some people say that there is no one named Zeynep among the granddaughters of Hazreti Hüseyin, and that this lodge, established by the Bektashis during the Ottoman period, was attributed to Hazreti Ali with a fictitious person. According to another rumor, there are those who say that it was the daughter of Zeynel Abidin Hazreti, who went to see our prophet in Hijaz but learned of his death. However, the Seljuks, who took advantage of the Arabs disturbing the Byzantines on these shores, would have an easier time taking Kolonoros. The Sitti Zeynep Tomb is an example of Ottoman architecture in Alanya. However, before this tomb was built here, there were three carved tombs in a row from the Byzantines under this tomb. After the Seljuks took Antalya, they thought that Mediterranean domination would only be possible by capturing Kolonoros, so Erto-kuş Bey, who was assigned to add this important castle, which was very difficult to take, to his lands, conveyed this situation to the Seljuk Sultan Alaüddin Keykubat, and upon receiving the order from the Sultan, the necessary preparations for the capture of Alanya were started. In fact, the Iranian historian İbn’i Bibi says the following about this castle: “If the decree is given to the victorious army, I strongly hope that; every ant will become a dragon, every warbler (bush warbler) will become a huma, when we see it together with the heavens and alone with the skies, we will use that castle.” The army sets off and sets up headquarters in front of Kolonoros. Plans were prepared in accordance with the orders of the Sultan and the castle was surrounded. First, Kirfart, the castle commander of the time, was told to surrender without bloodshed. As a result of Kirfart’s resistance, a two-month attack plan was implemented. Sultan Alaüddin Keykubat, who could not get any results from this application, prayed to Allah by raising his hands after an evening prayer. That very night, the Sultan saw a radiant person in his dream and heard him say: “It is very difficult to take this castle and enter it. War is never waged, but Allah is your helper, you will be granted the chance to take such a castle.” Upon this, the Sultan woke up joyfully. He called all the statesmen to a meeting. Everyone interpreted this dream as auspicious and accepted it as good news of victory. Upon the order of the Sultan, he distributed 100 head of oxen, 1000 head of sheep and 11 dirhams of money to the war volunteers and the poor. The entire army made their final preparations and launched a major attack, chanting “Allah Allah”. Realizing that they had no more strength to wage war against this major attack, the castle commander Kirfart and his relatives saw that they had no choice but to surrender. Thereupon, he asked the bey of Antalya, Mubarizittin Ertokuş, to mediate due to their neighborly relations and tell him that they would surrender if no harm was done to them. After this happy news, the Sultan happily announced that no harm would be done. Kirfart, who was very happy about this situation, personally opened the castle gates wide and welcomed the Sultan. Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat gave him a town in the Konya region and allowed him to live there for the rest of his life. He also took his daughter Hand (Mahperi Sultan) as his wife. There are rumors that have been told since that day about the conquest of Alanya Castle. In fact, according to this rumor, it is said that Alanya Castle was also called Keçi Castle. When Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat realized that he could not take the castle with these soldiers after a 4-month long siege, he ordered his men to gather all the goats in the region and bring them. One night, he ignited the kindlings he had tied to the horns of the goats that had gathered and had the soldiers attack the castle gates with shouts of Allah Allah. Seeing the panic of the castle guards in the face of this large crowd, Kirfart understood the gravity of the situation and ordered the castle gates to be opened. After the victory, Sultan Alauddin Keykubat also removed the name Kolonoros and changed it to Alaiye in reference to his own name. While the army was heading towards Antalya with the excitement of this joy, the Sultan came to Alara Castle, which is 35 km away from the city center today, and immediately ordered this castle to be included in the Seljuk borders. The castle commander, who was Kirfart’s brother, was informed of his brother’s fate by an envoy. Upon this news, the castle commander collapsed and died right there. The rest surrendered involuntarily. Even 9 years later, upon the order of the Sultan, a large caravanserai was built right at the foot of this castle. (Alarahan) Alaiye, conquered by Alaüddin Keykubat, was the beginning of the most glorious era of the Seljuks. The traces of the most beautiful craftsmanship of Alanya and its surroundings, which have not aged even over the centuries, can be called the unique wonders of the world.
DEATH OF ALAADDİN KEYKUBAT:
Before setting out for the Damascus campaign, countless soldiers who had gathered in Kayseri (Mashhadiye) during the crescent of the month of Shawwal in 1237 gathered at the festival site. Here, they ate and drank for three days and three nights and had great fun. On the last day, Çaşniğir Nasırüddin Ali suddenly put a roasted bird meat in front of the Sultan while it was still hot and tore it apart with his hand. After the Sultan ate a few Iokmas, changes began to occur in his condition. All those around him began to run around in panic. They immediately took the Sultan to the Keykubadiye Palace, and although he vomited, he could not be saved. He breathed his last in the Keykubadiye Palace on the 4th Monday night of Shawwal in the year 634 (1237). His body was taken to Konya and buried next to his ancestors. There are other rumors about the Sultan’s death. “Aladdin’s death deserves investigation. It is either murder or food poisoning, which is called Batilismus. Sometimes stale meat contains large amounts of this poison. Even if a bite is taken as a taste, sometimes the death rate among those poisoned is 100%,” he says. According to another rumor, it is said that he was poisoned by Kirfart’s 17-year-old son from his daughter Mahperi.
THE TAKEOVER OF ALAİYE BY THE OTTOMANS:
The Karamanids always considered themselves as the heirs of the Seljuks. That is why they never got along well with the Ottomans. The first Ottoman Karaman War started in 1387 during the reign of Murat I. It continued 10 years later in 1397 with Yıldırım Beyazıt. After this attack, the Karamanids were eliminated. However, it is unfortunate that as a result of a clash between a Turk and a Turk, Beyazıt was defeated in the Battle of Ankara in 1402 and with the treacherous plans of Timur, first all the princes were mixed up and then the leaders of all the principalities that were eliminated by Beyazıt were given freedom by saying, “Go ahead and take over your principalities.” It is said that after the revived principalities, especially Karaman Bey Mehmet and Ali Bey, were released from prison, Mehmet Bey raided Bursa, destroyed some of it and then, unable to take revenge, opened the grave of Beyazıt, who had killed his father, and chewed on his bones. While this was going on, an incident between Konya and Alaiye during the time of Fatih was the last straw and they went after Alaiye upon Fatih’s order, and first assigned Rum Mehmet Pasha to this task. Since Rum Mehmet Pasha’s wife was the sister of Alaiye Bey, he failed and in 1471, the Ottomans under the command of Gedik Ahmet Pasha annexed the lands of Alaiye to the Ottoman borders without any war or bloodshed. The Alaiye pier was also very important during this period. It was not beneficial for the Ottomans for Arab and Frankish ships to stop here. The capture of Alaiye was essential for the Ottomans to establish a smooth Ottoman rule on the southern coasts of Anatolia. At that time, there was a bey named Kıııç Arslan in Alaiye who recognized the protection of the Mamluks. After the collapse of the Seljuk state, Alaiye fell into the hands of the Karamanids, and the Karamanids sold it to the Mamluks in 1427 or 1428. From that date on, a small principality was formed in Alaiye under the administration of the Mamluks. Kılıç Arslan was the last ruler of this small principality. Kılıç Arslan, who surrendered the city to Gedik Ahmet Pasha without a fight, was given the Gümülcine Sanjak as a fief in return for Alaiye. Kıııç Arslan Bey was very upset that Gümülcine, which had a low income in return for a place like Alaiye, was given to him, and one day he found the opportunity, boarded a ship from Kavala and escaped to Egypt, the land of his former patron, the Mamluks. In the meantime, since it is related to Alanya, I think it would be useful to tell the fate of Gedik Ahmet Pasha. After Fatih Sultan Mehmet died, Gedik Ahmet Pasha, who sided with Cem Sultan in the fight between Cem Sultan and Beyazıt, was thrown into prison by Beyazıt and later killed. While every corner of our beautiful country, which no enemy could set foot on even during the weakest periods of the Ottoman Empire, was being invaded by enemies before the War of Independence, the Italian navy, which settled in Antalya Harbor on March 28, 1919, entered the city under various pretexts and forced the people of the city to accept the texts they prepared by setting various conditions because they were exhausted and weak. Because Antalya was bombed several times during World War I. After the Italians invaded Antalya, they started a policy of expansion and for this they thought of Manavgat and Alanya (Alaiye) on the coast. They came as far as Side and Karaburun, which belongs to our Alanya. This expansion continued to increase its speed from March 28, 1919 to June 1919. During this period, they came to Alanya and started to drop bombs randomly on the residential areas of the city from the area we call Kale Arkası. A few houses that were hit by the bombs were damaged. However, since the majority of the people were in the highlands, there were no deaths, and when the ships arrived at the port, they fired a few cannons to scare the people. According to what our elders told us, the Italians withdrew as they had come without having the chance to land from the sea due to the existence of the gangs Karazor, Kolluca and Güneyli Mevlüt Efe, who were even opposing the existing government forces, and the possibility of uniting with the people. In short, Alanya, which became Turkish in 1221, was never touched by enemy foot. I think it would not be right to mention our dear fellow citizens who have reached the rank of martyrdom by willingly giving their lives for their homeland. I don’t know where to start, but when we look at our historical records, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV (1657), under the command of Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmet Pasha, in the Dardanelles Operation, the Alaiye Sanjak Bey Küçük Mehmet Reis and his entourage, who fought hand to hand with the Venetians, gave countless martyrs. After being summoned to the presence, the Grand Vizier kissed his forehead and eyes, took off the sable fur from behind and put it on him. He also put a ghazi wreath on his head and also gave more than 200 gold coins and a bag of kuruş to be distributed to those who survived with him and tried hard, and again, he played a role in the rebuilding of our fleet in the Battle of Lepanto, which we lost in a night raid on October 7, 1571.
ALAİYE’S BECOMING ALANYA:
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk would not neglect to visit Antalya when he went on his trips around the country. On March 9, 1930, the people of Alanya learned that the Great Leader would visit Aspendos. The delegation consisting of Hamdullah Emin Pasha (Alanya Ottoman Deputies’ Assembly Istanbul member), Nazmi OOĞAN (Hacıkadiroğlu), Hüseyin Gücüoğlu (Şakirzade), Mehmet Ali Kemaloğlu, Fuat Salur, Şükrü Ulusoy and Zihni Açıkalın (all of whom have passed away, may their souls rest in peace) set out to meet Atatürk in Aspendos on March 9, 1930. The delegation headed by Hamdullah Pasha invited Atatürk to Alanya. Atatürk said that he would definitely visit Alanya on another trip. Prof. Or. Afet İNAN, who was with Atatürk at that time, always mentioned Alanya. Prof. Or. Afet İNAN, who spent her primary school years in Alanya due to her father’s civil service, played a major role in the frequent communication between Atatürk and the people of Alanya. The year is 1931, Atatürk is in Antalya. After a tour of Antalya and its surroundings, they set off in the direction of Silifke. When they arrive in front of Alanya, both in accordance with the promise she made to Prof. Afet İNAN and the promise she made to the Alanya delegation in Aspendos in 1930, she sees the snow-white Alanya houses, Sultan Alaaddin’s Castle, Tower and Shipyard, very close to Alanya Bay, among the lush banana and orange gardens, and she is moved. The delegation with her says, “Yes, why shouldn’t you have a mansion in Alaiye, Paşam Selçuk’s wintering capital?” In the meantime, the people proceed towards the Aegean Steamer where Atatürk is located on barges and rowboats. Alanya is not on the itinerary of the ship carrying Atatürk and his friends. However, due to this nice gesture, Alanya Mayor Hüseyin HACIKAOiROĞLU sent a telegram expressing the love, respect and sincere loyalty of the people of Alanya. Since all telegrams sent to reach a ship sailing at sea at that time were sent via Çanakkale, the word Alaiye was mistakenly stated as Alanya in the telegram. While reading the telegram, Prof. Afet İNAN noticed it. After Afet İNAN’s historical explanations, Atatürk ordered the relevant people to change the name Alaiye to Alanya. After the correspondence, Alaiye was published in the official gazette in July 1933 and was changed to Alanya.
Source: Haşim Yetkin (Life in Alanya from Yesterday to Today)