The Red Tower () is a historical tower in the Turkish city of

Alanya Alanya (; ), formerly Alaiye, is a beach resort town, resort city, a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Antalya Province, Turkey. It is on the southern coast of Turkey, in the country's Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean R ...

. 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 Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, to Alanya to complete the building. The octagonal red brick tower protects the Tersane (

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

) 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 a fine example of medieval military architecture, and is the best preserved Seljuk building in the city. In 1979 the city opened the Ethnographic 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 Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, in particular the Seljuq double headed eagle 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 Towers in Turkey 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 Anatolian Seljuk architecture