Construction of the building began in the early reign of the Anatolian Seljuq Sultan Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I and was completed in 1226.

The sultan brought the accomplished architect Ebu Ali Reha from Aleppo, Syria, to Alanya to complete the building.

[3] It remains one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture, and is the best preserved Seljuk building in the city.

[citation needed] In 1979 the city opened the Ethnographic Museum of Alanya inside of the tower.

[4] Besides providing visitors with a history of the tower and town, the museum gives attention to the heraldry, in particular the Seljuq double headed eagle that is used on the city flag.