100 meters from Kızıl Kule, right at the water's edge, stand five brick-and-stone arches 7.7 meters high. This is the Tersane — a covered Seljuk shipyard built in 1228, two years after the Red Tower.
Why It Was Built
Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I envisioned Alanya as the main military port of the Seljuk empire. The Tersane is the only place on Turkey's southern coast where war galleys could be built and repaired year-round, under a roof, protected from the weather and from enemies.
What Makes It Unique
Across the entire Mediterranean, only this one covered medieval shipyard has survived to the present day. Venice's Arsenal is a century and a half younger, and so is Barcelona's Drassanes. The Tersane is a rare example of 13th-century engineering, where stonework is combined with fired brick for protection against salt.
The approach to the Tersane from the harbor.What to See Today
Three of the five arches house the Alanya Maritime Museum — models of Seljuk ships, navigational instruments, amphorae. A ticket costs 60 TL and is included in the combined ticket with the tower climb.