Işıkkale (meaning the "castle of light") is an ancient settlement in
Turkey.
Işıkkale is located at in the rural area of
Silifke ilçe (district) of
Mersin Province. Işıkkale was established in the
Taurus Mountains. Its distance from Silifke is and from
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 . Işıkkale is between two other archaeologically important sites;
Karakabaklı
Karakabaklı is an archaeological site in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Geography
Karakabaklı is situated next to Karadedeli village (now a remote neighborhood of Atakent) in the rural area of Silifke district at . In the antiquity this region was ...
and
Sinekkale
Sinekkale (literally "The castle of flies") is the archaeological remains of a big villa rustica in Turkey. The original name is unknown.
Location
Sinekkale is at in the rural area of Silifke ilçe (district) of Mersin Province. Its distanc ...
.
The visitors follow the Turkish state highway
D-400 which runs in parallel to
Mediterranean Sea coast. west of
Atakent
Atakent is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Geography
Atakent is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal town in Silifke district which itself is a part of Mersin Province. Alluvial plains of Silifke lie in the west of the town and hil ...
, the visitors turn to north for about . The settlement is situated on both sides of the road.
The original name of the settlement is not known. It dates back to
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
,
Roman and the early
Byzantine ages. There are many buildings, cisterns, wineries, and olive oil presses.
[ In most of the buildings polygonal masonry is used .][Mersin Valiliği:Mersin Ören Yerleri, Kaleleri, Müzeleri, p. 213] But there are also buildings of a later era such as a three-nave basilica.[Silifke Museum page ]
/ref>
References
{{Mersin Province
Silifke District
Ancient Anatolia
Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey
Olba territorium