Page 179 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya

Alanya Castle: Tears of Eleni
There is almost no one who comes to Alanya who leaves
without visiting its castle. Because the castle, situated on the
highest point of the promontory of Alanya that stretches out
to the sea and divides the city into eastern and western parts,
greets the eyes of everyone who visits the city by sea or by
land. However, one day, the tears of a very beautiful girl from
the height of this promontory poured down, splashing first on
the slopes of the hill and then on, into the deep blue waters. The
name of this beautiful girl was Eleni.
Eleni was the only daughter of the Byzantine Tekfur Argiles.
She spent her days on the beautiful flower-filled slopes of Alanya
Castle. So much so that one day, while she was out picking flow-
ers on the hillside, a shepherd grazing his sheep came across
her. The two young people, who suddenly made eye contact,
fell in love with each other. From that day on, the two lovers met
almost every day in the place where they first met. However,
since the young shepherd is poor, Eleni does not dare to explain
this situation to her father. So until the day comes.
A pirate named Vasili had set his eyes on Alanya Castle.
The pirates constantly plundered the villages near the castle.
So much so that over time these pirates have come very close
to the castle. Tired of the pirate Vasili’s looting of his country’s
lands, the Byzantine Tekfur comes up with an idea that his en-
emy cannot refuse. He will give his own daughter to the pirate
and thus eliminate the danger.
Explaining the situation to his beautiful daughter, Tekfur finds
an entirely unexpected reaction. Because Eleni is in love with
the poor shepherd and has no intention of being married to any-
one else. Upon this, Tekfur Argiles, who is so angry, orders his
daughter to take a lesson from being giving a great punishment
and he imprisons the beautiful Eleni in the dungeons of Alanya
Castle. The narrow cell where Eleni was confined had only a tiny
window overlooking the Damlataş beach. Her father thinks that

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