Alanya Lighthouse

Alanya Lighthouse sits right at the harbour entrance, a bright white tower with a Turkish flag. The harbour itself is busy with tour boats, fishing vessels, and yachts constantly coming and going. The Taurus Mountains rise steeply behind the town, and the 13th century Red Tower (Kızıl Kule) stands at the eastern end of the harbour in red brick, creating an amazing layering of ancient stone, coastline, and mountains that is hard to beat. From the harbour wall near the lighthouse you can shoot back toward the Red Tower with the castle walls climbing up the peninsula above it, or turn around and look out across open Mediterranean water. A telephoto from further along the promenade compresses the lighthouse against the mountains nicely. Since the harbour faces east, morning is your best window. Early light comes straight across the water and warms up the white tower beautifully. Late afternoon works well too, because the western sun drops behind you and front lights the Red Tower and castle walls in golden tones. Blue hour is worth sticking around for, since the harbour restaurants and boats light up and the water picks up the colour. Midday light can be harsh and contrasty, so plan around it if you can. The lighthouse is easy to reach on foot along the harbour promenade from the centre of town, and the surrounding area has cafes and seating if you want to wait out the light. (Alanya, Antalya Province, Turkey)