The colonnaded street
Two hundred and fifty metres of columns running from the monumental gate to the far end of the terrace, which has the widest Mediterranean view on the hill.
matzi01 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gottfried Hoffmann -… — CC BY 3.0 · Gottfried Hoffmann -… — CC BY 3.0 · Gottfried Hoffmann -… — CC BY 3.0
Four hundred metres above the village of Seki, the ancient city of Syedra sits on a hilltop that takes in the whole coast from Alanya to Gazipaşa, and the first thing that hits you through the monumental gate is not a column or a carved stone but the blue of the Mediterranean filling the horizon. This was a Roman port town of Rough Cilicia, inhabited from the 7th century BC to the 13th century AD, and it is where Pompey held his last council of war in 48 BC before sailing to Egypt and his death. What makes it worth an hour of your day, though, is not a name in the history books but the 250-metre colonnaded street, part of which was once roofed against the sun, and a great bath with mosaic floors. In March 2026 the excavators uncovered a mosaic at the doorway of one of the largest houses in the city, its Greek inscription meaning roughly 'let the envious burst', and within weeks it had become the site's signature in the Turkish press. The dig here is alive, led since 2019 by Alanya's Alaaddin Keykubat University and running year-round since 2023, which means you may find a team working beside you and that what is open to visitors widens every season: in summer 2026 a restored 5th-to-6th-century olive-oil press went on show, next to the huge plastered cistern and the Baptism Cave with its painted walls. Since 3 July 2026, with a new visitor welcome centre, entry is ticketed: 7 EUR for foreign visitors, children of eight and under free, while Müzekart covers Turkish citizens. The route from Alanya is straightforward: 20 km east along the coastal D400 past Mahmutlar and Kargıcak, then a turn that climbs to Seki village on a narrow, twisting asphalt road; allow 35 to 45 minutes by car. There is no public transport to the top, so a return taxi with waiting time is the sensible option if you are not driving. Take the site as it is: uneven stone paths, ancient staircases and precious little shade, so pushchairs are out and the August midday sun is punishing; go at opening or in the last hour before closing. Children over about eight enjoy the scrambling and the caves; small ones tire fast. An hour to an hour and a half is enough, and you will leave having seen an entire city without crowds, which Alanya Castle in summer cannot promise.
Two hundred and fifty metres of columns running from the monumental gate to the far end of the terrace, which has the widest Mediterranean view on the hill.
Found in March 2026 at the doorway of a large house; ask the guards whether it is uncovered that day, as the dig protects some floors under cover.
A vast plastered cistern said to have supplied the village with water until recent times, and beside it a rock-cut cave with painted walls and a pool inside.
Seki Mahallesi, Asar Mevkii, Alanya
First visit, the castle: it is closer, the view is the iconic one and it works without a car. Syedra wins if you are driving and want real ruins with nobody around, or if you have done the castle before. Do not try both in one August afternoon.
Honestly, no pushchairs and no one who struggles with stairs: the paths are uneven stone, the staircases ancient and shade is scarce. Children over eight enjoy it, and steady-footed older visitors can keep to the colonnaded street and its view.
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