DIM CAVERN, KESTEL / ALANYA
TURKIYE, DIM CAVERN
Dim Cavern is located within the bounderies of Alanya – Kestel township, towards the south slope of Dim valley, at an altitude of 232 m.
The Cavern is 134 km from Antalya Airport and its distance from Alanya city centre is 11 km. You may gain access to the cavern, by taking the seaside road passing through Kestel township.
Name of Property
Alanya
Geographical Location
36 32′N-31 59′ E Located on the southern coast of Turkey.
Description
Alanya situated in the eastern part of the Gulf of Antalya is 137 km away from Antalya by the main highway.
The peninsula of Alanya surrounded by city walls was named ‘Karakesion’ during the Hellenistic period went under the hegomany of Romans and Byzantines, followed by the Seljuks. The present name of the town comes from Alaaddin Keykubat, who did great service to the development of the town.
The Kizilkule Ethnography Museum
This grand building erected in 1226 for military and dockyard control purposes is one of unique monuments of the Seljuks, and is the symbol of Alanya. After repairs between 1951 and 1953, in 1979 carpets, rugs, clothes kitchen tools, weapons, scales, lightening rods and weaving tools unique to the Alanya region and tents reflecting the yoruk (nomad) culture are exhibited, and thus the building functions as our ethnography museum.
Archaeological Museum
The museum has two sections where archaeological and ethnographical arts are exhibited and it was opened for visitors in 1967. An increasing number of artefacts found in the region required the establishment of new museum facilities, and the Archaeological Museum was taken into operation. For the opening of the museum, works of art from Ancient Bronze, Urartu, Frygian and Lydia Periods were brought from the Ankara Museum of Anatolian Civilisations for exhibition. The inscription dating from 625 B.C. discovered around Alanya with writing in the Phoenician language is one of the oldest artefacts and is exhibited here.
Alanya Castle and Monuments
Alanya Castle has always been settled because of its inaccessibility from sea and land, and is only one of the castles decorating Anatolia and surviving until present.
The castle has a castle wall of 6.5 km length, 140 towers, about 400 cisterns, doors with inscriptions and as an open air museum reflects Seljuk art at its best, showing the fascination of Seljuk art. The ramparts start from Kizkule, extend down from Ehmedek, Ickale, Adam Atacagi, Cilvarda Burnu, Arap Evliyasi Rampart and Esat Rampart and pass through Tophane and Tersane and end at Kizilkule at the starting point.