The Kızıl Kule (Red Tower) ( fa, برج قرمز) is a historical tower in the Turkish city of

Alanya Alanya (; ), formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort city and a district of Antalya Province on the southern coast of Turkey, in the country's Mediterranean Region, east of the city of Antalya. As of Turkey's 2010 census, the city had a population of ...

. The building is considered to be the symbol of the city, and is used on the city's flag.

History

Construction of the building began in the early reign of the Anatolian Seljuq Sultan Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I and was completed in 1226. The sultan brought the accomplished architect Ebu Ali Reha from Aleppo, Syria, to Alanya to complete the building. The octagonal red brick tower protects the Tersane ( shipyard) which dates from 1221. The name derives from the more red color brick he used in its construction. The building itself is high and wide. It remains one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture, and is the best preserved Seljuk building in the city. In 1979 the city opened the

Ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...

Museum of Alanya inside of the tower. Besides providing visitors with a history of the tower and town, the museum gives attention to the heraldry, in particular the Seljuq

double headed eagle In heraldry and vexillology, the double-headed eagle (or double-eagle) is a charge associated with the concept of Empire. Most modern uses of the symbol are directly or indirectly associated with its use by the late Byzantine Empire, originall ...

that is used on the city flag. The tower was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 250,000 lira banknotes from 1992 to 2005.Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey
. Banknote Museum: 7. Emission Group - Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Turkish Lira

. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kizil Kule Alanya Anatolia Towers in Turkey Seljuk architecture Buildings and structures completed in 1226 Buildings and structures in Antalya Province Museums in Antalya Province Ethnographic museums in Turkey Towers completed in the 13th century