Dağlı Castle ( tr, Dağlı Kalesi) is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey

Geography

The castle is around Dağlı Village of

Erdemli Erdemli is a town and district of Mersin Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, west of the city of Mersin. Geography Erdemli is located between the districts of Mezitli (to the east) and Silifke (to the west). In the north, Erdemli i ...

District at . The distance between Erdemli and the village is and the distance between the castle and

Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...

is . Although there is a vehicle road to the village, there is no road from the village to castle. Although a short portion of ancient castle road survives, the castle is accessible only through walking and partial climbing from the village. The elevation of the village is , the elevation of the castle is over , and the total walking track is about .

History

The castle was built during the Roman Empire. But it was used during the Byzantine Empire and the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...

. It probably controlled ancient and medieval caravan routes.

The castle

The castle is on a hill overlooking Karakız valley. Most of the buildings as well as the walls are in ruins. But a big room, known as the ''queen’s room'', survives. There are also two small compartments which are thought to be toilet and some dark quarters which may be dungeons. Next to the main gate there is a rock relief showing two soldiers and one pregnant woman. There is also a highly effaced inscription. Although it was thought to be in Armenian, up to now only a few words could be deciphered. According to Professor Bogos Levon Zekiyan, only four words are readable; ''to son, Armenians, king and date''.Page of Aarchaeology enthusiast

References

External links

For images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dagli Castle Erdemli District Byzantine fortifications in Turkey Ruined castles in Turkey Castles in Mersin Province Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Turkey