Çandır Castle () the medieval Armenian site of Paperon (, also known as Barbaron), is a fortification in

Mersin Province Mersin Province (), formerly İçel Province (), is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast between Antalya Province, A ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Geography

The castle is in the

Toros Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar,'' Greek'':'' Ταύρος) are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a ...

at . It is situated to the east of Ayvagediği and Gözne Castle and to the north of

Mersin Mersin () is a large city and port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Mediterranean Region, Turkey, southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of the Mersin Province (formerly İçel). It is made up of four district governorates ...

. The distance to Mersin is about . The castle shares the same name with a village lying to the south (''see'' Çandır, Mersin). It is built on a plateau at an altitude of .

History

Most historians believe that the castle may be the castle of ''Paperon'' which is mentioned in conjunction with

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

Emperor

Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...

in the 5th century. Zeno, who was an

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

n, built the castle and spent a part of his refuge years in the castle. Alishan, writing in the 19th century, identifies Paperon with the

fort of Papirion ("Παπιρίον"), which is first mentioned in conjunction with the Byzantine emperor

the

n in the 5th century. However, there is no archeological evidence to support this and the identification is questioned. The site rose to prominence during the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, also known as Cilician Armenia, Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia, was an Armenian state formed during the High Middle Ages by Armenian ...

from the 12th through the 14th centuries, when it was the seat of Het’umid power, and the surviving structures date from this period. The fortress controlled two roads to Central Anatolia, one of which leads to the other main Het’umid stronghold, Lampron. Çandır Castle was the residence of many Armenian nobles and kings as well as the home of the remarkable scholar and diplomat,

Sempad the Constable Sempad the Constable (also Smpad and Smbat; or , ; 1208–1276) was a noble from Cilician Armenia. He was an older brother of King Hetoum I. He was an important figure in Cilicia, acting as a diplomat, judge, and military officer, holding the ti ...

The castle

In 1979 the site was surveyed by Robert Edwards, who, in 1987, published an archaeological and historical assessment of the site along with an accurate plan. The only entrance into the castle is up a partially vaulted staircase of approximately 140 steps that is cut into the vertical side of the plateau. In parallel to the steps is an inclined plane which was probably used for haulage. The castle is large, but most of the walls as well as the buildings are in ruins. The two most impressive structures are a two-story residence and a church, both of which are constructed with beautifully executed polished stones. This church, which now only partially survives, was, according to its dedicatory inscription in Armenian, completed in 1251 by

to honor his father. This inscription was on the south exterior wall of the church; it survived at least into the mid-1930s, but no trace of it existed by 1946.T. S. R. Boase, ''The Cilician Kingdom of Armenia'', 1978, p.156.

Trivia

A small house has been built inside the castle for a fire warden appointed by the Ministry of Forestry

References

External links

360Mersin page (For images)Extensive photographic survey, description and plan of Papeṙōn / Çandır Castle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Candir Castle Byzantine architecture in Turkey Ruined castles in Turkey Byzantine fortifications in Turkey Byzantine sites in Anatolia Castles in Mersin Province Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey