Alanya's History 

The first settlement of Alanya was on a small peninsula with the Taurus Mountains on the north, the Mediterranean on the south. As it was on a line between Ancient Pamphylia and the Kilikya border, sometimes it was called city of Kilikya and some times Pamphylia.
 
The documents describing the periods of Alanya in ancient times are quite limited. The studies made by Prof. Dr. Kılıç Kökten in 1957 in Kadrini Cave 12 kms away from the city center indicated that the region extends until the Later Paleolitical period (B.C. 20.000-17.000). The time of its foundation and that of Alanya is not yet known.

The oldest name of the city known is "Coracesium". During the Byzantine period it was called "Kalonoros". Upon the conquest of the castle by Alaaddin Keykubat I of the Seljuks in the 13th century (1200-1237), the name of the city was changed into "Alaiyye".

Atatürk gave the name of "Alanya" to the city when he visited the city in 1935. The first person to mention Coracesium is Skylaks, one of the geographers of antiquity in the 4th century B.C. During this period the city was under reign of Persian civilizations invading most of Anatolia. Those to see and then mention the city name in their books include Strabon, Pir-i Reis, the Traveller İbn-i Batuta and Evliya Çelebi.

We do not have sufficient information about the history of the city during the Byzantine period. In the 7th century A.D., during Arabic attacks, the city's defence gained greater importance. And in order to defend the city against attacks, castle construction was given priority. Therefore most of the castles and churches in Alanya and surroundings are dated from the 6th and 7th centuries A.D. Alaaddin Keykubat I, one of the Seljuk sultans, defeated the Kyr Vart dynasty residing in Alanya Castle in 1221 and conquered the castle. The Sultan built a house in his name there. The Seljuk Empire used Alanya as a second capital city in addition to Konya and used the city as a winter residence and made improvements there.
 
Mongol attacks in 1243 and the Invasion of Anatolia by Egyptian Memluks weakened the Seljuk Empire. The Seljuk Empire was divided in 1300, and the region came under the reign of the Karamanoğulları dynasty. In 1427 Alanya was sold to the Memluk Sultan for five thousand gold pieces, and then in 1471 the city was included within the borders of the Ottoman Empire by Mehmet II (The Conqueror). Alanya, together with Tarsus, was affiliated to the Province of Cyprus in 1571.

In 1864 it became a part of Konya District.
In 1868 the city was affiliated to Antalya and in 1871 became a county of this district.

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