Sightseeing in Turkey: Iç-Kale Fortress

Ich-kale fortress In Turkish Alanya there is a fortress built at the beginning of the 13th century. The inner part of the fortress is called Ich-kale. It was erected on the highest point of the western part of the peninsula - at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. In the southwestern part of the fortress there is an area with a gentle slope, but the western side seems to have been cut with a knife, and it ends with a steep cliff. The territory occupied by Ich-Kale has the shape of an uneven quadrangle. Due to the fact that a military and administrative center is located here, the territory of the fortress is surrounded on all sides by reliable fortress walls. The fortress is open every day from 9 am to 5 pm.

Previously, the entrance to the fortress was a square bastion located in the east. Nowadays, the entrance to the fortress is a cleft of the fortress wall on the south side. In the bastion of the main entrance there are loopholes and places where the guards were on duty.

In the middle of Ich-kale, there are two huge brick vaulted reservoirs of the Seljuk period, which are one of the most important and best preserved monuments. One pond, in which several thousand liters of water accumulate, is still used today. In other parts of the fortress there are also reservoirs.

Most of the buildings of Ichkale, except for the western part, tightly adjoin the walls of the fortress. In recent years, Turkish scientists have been conducting archaeological excavations in a large group of buildings that stretch in the direction of the southwest. Given the historical significance of this fortress, earlier there should have been a palace of the Sultan. This is indicated by numerous ceramic and faience details of the Seljuk period, discovered during excavations.

Ich-kale fortress In the northwestern part of the fortress there is a pond, which has the shape of a small square hill, behind its wall there is a cliff. Locals call this place Adam Atajak, which in translation sounds like "thrown into the abyss." This place is one of the most responsible in the fortress. According to legend, the ancient Romans threw people from this cliff who were sentenced to death. Nowadays, this part of the castle is very popular with tourists who try to throw stones from the cliff to the sea. According to legend, a prisoner who was sentenced to death could be pardoned if he could throw a stone to the sea. This task, despite the seemingly close location, is not so simple.

The tower on the south wall is the most remarkable in the fortress. It has a round shape, it is covered with a low dome. The tower is called Souk Su Hanama because of the drainage channels, which are made of baked bricks.

Near this tower there are two reservoirs, a spiral staircase leads to them.