Alara Han ve Alara Kalesi
A caravanserai built in 1232 by Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad on the bank of the Alara River, with the sheer rock castle that guarded it. One of the last stops on the Seljuk trade road down to the sea.
Alara Han is a staging post near the end of the Seljuk trade route running from Konya to the Mediterranean. The roughly 2,000 m² building is made of dressed stone blocks and contains covered bays where caravans stayed with their animals, a bath and a small mosque. Its riverside position solved both water supply and cooling.
Some 300–400 metres north of the han, Alara Castle sits atop a sheer rock. The way up runs through a long, dark stair tunnel cut into the rock — you cannot climb it without a torch. At the top there are towers, cisterns and an extraordinary view over the river valley.
Together the pair shows how the Seljuks organised a trade road in a single place: lodging below, security above. The site lies between Manavgat and Alanya, about 9 km inland from the Okurcalar turn-off. Riverside cafés and rafting and canoe operators cluster around the han.
- Best time
- Spring and autumn
- Budget
- Free
Tips
- A torch (or a strong phone light) is essential for the castle tunnel.
- The tunnel is narrow and damp; if enclosed spaces bother you, stay at the han.
- The riverside cafés work well for a lunch stop.