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Tokmar Castle (, ) is a castle ruin in
Tokmar Kalesi approaching 3800.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi from outside
Tokmar Kalesi approaching 3801.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi walls
File:Tokmar Kalesi approaching 3811.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi full view
Tokmar Kalesi on way back 3835.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi getting near
Tokmar Kalesi visit to ruins 3820.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi ruins
Tokmar Kalesi visit to ruins 3823.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi ruins of wall and tower
Tokmar Kalesi visit to ruins 3825.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi ruins of tower
Tokmar Kalesi visit to ruins 3826.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi ruins of tower and wall
Tokmar Kalesi - view from higher during climb 3798.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi in its setting
Tokmar Kalesi hinterland 3808.jpg, Tokmar Kalesi from within woodland
Tokmar Castle (, ) is a castle ruin 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 ...
Location
The castle is in the rural area ofSilifke
Silifke is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mersin Province, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,692 km2, and its population is 132,665 (2022). It is west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of the Çukurova plain.
...
district of Mersin Province at . It is on a plateau at the southern slopes of 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 ...
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. The altitude is and the birds' flight distance to sea shore is which makes the castle an excellent observation point. The distance to main highway ( D 400 ) is , to Silifke is and 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 .
History
The castle was built byByzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
in the 12th century. Later on, it was captured by 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 ...
. In 1210, it was incorporated into the realm of Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
. It was later on captured by the Karamanids
The Karamanids ( or ), also known as the Emirate of Karaman and Beylik of Karaman (), was a Turkish people, Turkish Anatolian beyliks, Anatolian beylik (principality) of Salur tribe origin, descended from Oghuz Turks, centered in South-Centra ...
and finally by the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in the late 15th century.
Construction
There are sharp cliffs at the south of the castle . But other sides are quite unprotected. Thus there are defense towers at the north. Although most of the walls stand, the buildings in the castle have since been completely demolished.Şinasi Başal: ''Antik Silifke ve Çevresi'',İçel Sanat Kulübü yayınları, Mersin, 1993, p.22Gallery
References