Gözne Castle is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle 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 south of

Gözne Gözne is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Toroslar, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,505 (2022). Before the 2013 Turkish local government reorganisation, 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). Geography ...

town. It is accessible only from the north i.e. Gözne. Its distance to

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 ...

is The road to the castle is an all seasons open road. The altitude of the castle is . The castle is open to visits.

History

According to the published archaeological description and plan of this site, this “castle” was probably a fortified estate house. It was built with distinctive Armenian masonry between the 12th and 14th centuries. It also protected a strategic route which linked the Mediterranean coast to

Çandır Castle Çandır Castle () the medieval Armenian site of Paperon (, also known as Barbaron), is a fortification in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography The castle is in the Toros Mountains at . It is situated to the east of Ayvagediği and Gözne Castle ...

and

Lampron Lampron (; ; ) is a castle near the town of Çamlıyayla in Mersin Province, Turkey. While part of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the Middle Ages, the castle was known as Lampron and was the ancestral home of the Armenian Hethumid princes. ...

, the main seats of Het'umid power in 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 ...

The buildings

This site consists of two fortified chambers without connecting masonry walls. The one at the east is a building with a vaulted rectangular hall, a defensive doorway, four towers, five extremely narrow windows, and a single embrasured loophole. The one at the west is a two-story hexagonal tower-donjon with two doors and three windows. Projecting corbels at the top once supported fighting platforms. Recently, a picnic area was established to the north of the castle. An extensive photographic survey and plan of Gözne Castle was made in 1979.The survey was conducted under the auspices of the University of California at Berkeley

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gozne Castle History of Mersin Province Toroslar District Buildings and structures in Mersin Province Castles in Turkey Tourist attractions in Mersin Province