Functional Properties of Alanya City in The Seljuk Period

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The existence and development of city settlements, which have favourable site and location features, are continuous. Undoubtedly, the human geography elements that change and develop over time also play an important role. Therefore, the establishment, development and diversification of functions over time are made possible by the extent of the potential created by various geographical features, especially the site and location, and by the managers who can evaluate this potential. Alanya city, which is located on a peninsula with a tombolo feature on the Mediterranean coast and on a high relief suitable for defence, has been able to protect its existence by improving its presence since its foundation thanks to its site and location features. The favourable geographical conditions allowed the city to be established at this location; it has positively affected the development of the city in terms of population, settlement and economic functions, and continues to affect today. In the paper, the city functions that were diversified with the influence of the site and location features of Alanya during the Seljuk period were discussed. By analysing the geographical information obtained from historical sources about the period examined, the functions of the city were determined and their features were tried to be explained. In this context, it has been determined that the city of Alanya had various functions such as port, shipyard, military naval base, commerce, resort and administration during the Seljuk period. In addition to the existing historical sources, the development, change and features of these functions have been tried to be examined in detail with the methodological possibilities provided by the science of geography. Thus, it is aimed to reveal the functional structure of Alanya city in Seljuk period with different aspects.

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Alanya , Seljuk Period , Urban Functions

eastern geographical review

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eastern geographical review