Hıdırlık Kulesi

About Hıdırlık Kulesi

Hıdırlık Tower (Hıdırlık Kulesi) is a landmark tower of tawny stone in Antalya, standing where Kaleiçi meets Karaalioğlu Park, at the point where the land walls of the old city join the sea walls. It is believed to have been built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD on a square plan and turned into a circular tower in the same century. Under the Byzantines it served as a military outpost, and it has since been used as a fortification or as a lighthouse. The structure, about 14 metres high, is a circular tower rising on a square pedestal. A gate on the east side leads into a small room, from which a narrow staircase climbs. The upper part shows signs of restoration work from the Seljuk and Ottoman eras. Its name, Hıdırlık, literally a place of Khidr, refers to a place where the Hıdırellez spring festival is held; such places are traditionally chosen for Hıdırellez ceremonies, and there are many Hıdırlıks in Turkey.