There are four museums in Alanya. They are Archeology Museum, Ethnography Museum, Keep (İçkale) Museum and Atatürk House Museum. All of the museums are under the command of Alanya Museums Administration and they are not allowed to be visited without payment. They remain open everyday except for lunch breaks. The most precious historical artefact of Alanya is the sculpture of Hercules, which is demonstrated at Archeology Museum. Kızılkule (The Scarlet Tower), which is near the port, is designed as Ethnography Museum. The keep, which was built by Alaaddin Keykubat to construct his palace on its peak when he was restoring the town in 13th century, is visited by tourists as a museum.
Archeology Museum
Alanya Archeology Museum was first found with the support of artefacts of Bronze Age, Urartus, Phrygians and Lydians, which were taken from Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara. As years passed, the museum develepod and got wealthier with other artefacts that were obtained from excavations in the region. There are also Turkish-Islamic artefacts of Seljukian and Ottoman eras. The most precious historical artefact of the museum is the sculpture of Hercules, who has a dramatic story in mythological history. The bronze casting sculpture, which dates back to 2nd century AD, is exclusively displayed on its own room
On the ethnographic part of the museum, there are artefacts that are collected from Alanya, which reflect the folkloric features of the region, such as yörük rugs, ala sacks, saddlebags, clothes, needlework samples, guns and weapons, daily-used pots, jewellery, manuscripts and writing tools. There is also a traditional room of Alanya of old times.
Therefore, there are stony fragments of Roman, Islamic and Byzantium eras in the garden of the museum. You have to pay an entry fee to visit the museum which remains open everyday.
Ethnography Musem
Kızılkule is Ethnography Musem as well as a historical building left from Seljukians, 13th century. It has five floors, ground and first floors of which is designed as a museum. There are ethnographic artefacts that reflect Alanya's culture such as carpets, rugs, clothes, kitchen equipments, guns, weapons, weighing instruments, lighting devices, weaving looms and tents which reflect Yörük Turkmen Culture on Toros Mountains. You have to pay an entry fee to visit the museum
Keep Musem
It is inside the historical castle and on the peninsula which lies on Mediterranean Sea. There are excavations still being carried out. The cistern on a rift in the keep is known as "Adam Atacağı" (man launcher). According to a legend, those who were sentenced to death penalty had to throw three pieces of stones into the sea. If the stones hit the water without being stuck in slopes, convicted one were allowed to be free, otherwise, they were thrown into the sea with a sack which they are in. You have to pay an entry fee to visit Keep Museum.
Atatürk House Museum
This is the house at which the founder of Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, stayed during his visit to Alanya on the 18th of February 1935. Atatürk's belongings, photos, telegrams he sent to people from Alanya and other historical documents are displayed on the ground floor of the triplex building which reflects the features of Turkish architecture of 19th century and is in a garden. Upper floors' rooms are decorated with ethnographic ornaments of traditional houses of Alanya. There is an entry fee for visiting Atatürk House Museum.
