Mezgitkale is a 2nd- or 3rd-century mausoleum in

Mersin Province Mersin Province ( tr, ), formerly İçel Province ( tr, ), is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of f ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

Geography

Mezgitkale (also known as ''Korkusuz Kral Mezarı'' “Mausoleum of fearless king” ) is a small mousoleum near Öztürkmenli village in

Silifke Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of Çukurova. Silifke is near the Mediterranean co ...

district. It is situated in the high plateau to the south of

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

. It is accessible from Atakent on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

shore. Distance to Silifke is and to Mersin is

History

Although the Turkish suffix ''-kale'' means fort, this building is actually a mausoleum. Also, contrary to popular belief it is not a mausoleum of a king. It was built by an eminent

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

citizen (probably a land owner) for his family. The building was used as a tomb for about two centuries.Silifke governor’s page
Then it was abandoned during the

Byzantine 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 ...

era. During Ottoman era, the building was used as a house and a furnace was added to the original building.

Technical details

The dimensions of the square building are 7.8 x 7.8 m² (25.6 x 25.6 ft²). The entrance with four

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government refor ...

type columns and corbels is at the south. On the north wall there are reliefs of a shield, a sword and two scorpions. On the west wall there is a relief (now partially damaged) of a phallus probably dedicated to Priapos. Next to the moselaum, there is a stone carved cistern with dimensions 5 x 20 x 8 m³ ( 16.4 x 65 x 26 ft³). According to Ministry of Culture and Tourism, there was also an olive oil workshop.Haydar Dönmez-Candaş Keskin: ''Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, 27. Araştırma Sonuçları Cilt 3 sf. 101''

References

{{Mersin Province Archaeological sites in Mersin Province, Turkey Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Turkey Mausoleums in Turkey Olba territorium