Alanya – Hike up the Castle Hill – Gourds in the Bazaar

Friday, 02 October 2026 00:00
Written by Portal Editor

Alanya – once again, despite the lingering summer temperatures, we decided to walk up the castle hill along the road, which now features a sidewalk for almost the entire route.

Starting from Damlatas, we initially followed Sultan Alaaddin Caddesi, a street lined on both sides by multi-story residential buildings.

Alanya Damlatas – Starting point for the ascent

As the road transitions into Kaleyolu Caddesi, the built-up area thins out, opening up the first views of Alanya’s harbour, the Red Tower, and the numerous excursion boats.

Since Kaleyolu winds upwards in switchbacks here, pedestrians are better off taking a shortcut via the stone steps; although the steps are made of natural stone and have unusually high risers, they significantly shorten the walk.

And by the way - to leave the sometimes busy road is the most important advantage.

At this point, we are roughly level with the Alanya Teleferik (cable car) terminus and the first gate of Ehmedek Kalesi, the outer fortification of the castle complex.

Continuing onto Kale Caddesi, we reach a wooden walkway that guides pedestrians safely alongside the road up to the second city gate, offering magnificent views of the harbor and several beautifully situated restaurants.

We then enter the ancient yet bustling village within the castle walls, browsing the first stalls selling textiles and souvenirs the typical fare for tourists. Upon reaching the viewpoint overlooking Cleopatra Beach, we have arrived at the highest point of the castle hill; we decide to head back via the relatively new wooden path leading toward the Alanya Teleferik terminus.

Among several other viewpoints, we were particularly struck by the bazaar located in the rectangular building southwest of the Süleymaniye Mosque an Ottoman bedesten (covered market) beautifully restored using rubble stone and brick, featuring surrounding vaulted chambers dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries.

Bedesten – A Bazaar for Traditional Craftsmanship

Situated almost centrally within the historic citadel district also known as the Hisariçi quarter the bedesten and its central courtyard now serve as the tourist hub of the Alanya castle complex.

This is, of course, partly due to the Alanya cable car, which transports streams of visitors up to the castle hill.

Alongside handmade silver jewellery, the characteristically colourful ceramics from Kütahya, and handcrafted shoes and sandals, numerous other artisans showcase their work here.

We were thoroughly delighted by the variety, especially since we unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance whom we hadn't seen in at least 15 years.

Naturally, we were overjoyed, and we agreed that another 15 years shouldn't pass before our next meeting. We spent some time browsing the porcelain plates and cups from the Kütahya region items he used to sell on Alanya’s main street.

Diagonally opposite, we noticed a craftsman working on a gourd, drilling various holes into it a rather dusty undertaking.

Calabashes – a plant-based vessel with insulating properties for carrying liquids

Most people have likely heard the term "calabash," especially since they are still used in many countries today to transport beverages, taking advantage of the material's ability to keep contents either cool or warm.

The raw material comes from the bottle gourd, which is allowed to mature fully before being hollowed out and air-dried.

The bottle gourd is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants and has been known in many cultures since ancient times.

The slow drying process transforms the gourd's otherwise rather fleshy rind into a hard, waterproof, woody shell; this surface can even be decorated with carvings, paint, pyrography, or incised patterns making it clear why the hollowed-out gourd was also used as a resonating body for musical instruments.

However, the artisan we met in the Bedesten bazaar in Alanya specialized in crafting light fixtures from raw bottle gourds.

He displayed his creations in one of the Bedesten’s vaulted chambers a sight well worth seeing, especially given how clearly one could trace the production process from the raw gourd to the finished lamp.

Cistern on Alanya’s Castle Hill

A short while later, we came across another discovery that had previously remained hidden from the public: an ancient cistern on the castle hill. Known as the Mecdüddin Cistern, this is a Seljuk structure dating back to the 13th century. The rectangular, barrel-vaulted building is enclosed by raised rubble-stone walls; the masonry, composed of Khorasan mortar and brick, is plastered on the interior.

A raised section on the western side gives the cistern a U-shaped layout. Three shafts for drawing water are located in the ceiling. A rather steep staircase leads down; once at the bottom, a wooden walkway takes you through the cistern before a similarly steep staircase on the other side leads back up to daylight. While it may not match the scale and appointments of Roman cisterns—such as the "Sunken Palace" in Istanbul it is nonetheless impressively large.

We followed the wooden walkway to the Alanya cable car station, then began the descent toward Damlataş, where we rejoined Cleopatra Beach near the cave. A wonderful, albeit strenuous, hike came to an end.

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