Yeniyurt Castle ( tr, Yeniyurt Kalesi) is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey. The ancient name of the castle is not known. Yeniyurt is the name of a nearby village.

Geography

The castle is situated on a hill in the peneplane area at the north west of Erdemli district of Mersin Province at . The castle overviews the Kayacı valley and Limonlu River. The distance to Erdemli is and to Mersin is It is to the nearest sea side settlement, Ayaş.

The castle

The castle, now mostly in ruins, is noticeable for the non standard construction material. It was a

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 ...

castle built to control the valley during the ancient ages.Ministry of Tourism page
/ref> But later on it was reconstructed by the

Byzantian Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

or the

Cilician Armenia 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, ...

in the Medieval age. There are traces of three towers, a necropolis and a basilica as well as some houses.

References

{{Authority control History of Turkey Ruined castles in Turkey Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey Forts in Turkey Former populated places in Turkey Castles in Mersin Province Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Byzantine fortifications in Turkey Olba territorium