- Mamure Castle
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Mamure Castle (Turkish: Mamure kalesi) is a medieval castle in the Anamur district of Mersin Province, Turkey.
Contents
Geography
The castle is at the Mediterranean Sea side at about 36°04′50″N 32°53′40″E / 36.08056°N 32.89444°E. It is on the D400 highway, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Anamur and 216 kilometres (134 mi) west of Mersin.
History
The castle was built on the foundation of an ancient castle built by the Roman Empire in the forth century, undoubtedly against pirates. It was later on repaired by the Byzantine Empire and the Crusades. When Alaattin Keykubat I of Seljuk Turks captured the ruins of the castle in 1221, he built a larger castle partially using the foundation of the former castle. It was later on incorporated into the realm of Karamanids (A Turkish state in Anatolia in the Medieval ages.) Although the exact date is uncertain, according to an inscription erected by İbrahim II of Karaman in 1450, the castle was captured during Mahmut's reign (1300–1308). The castle was renamed as Mamure (prosperous) after repaired by Mahmut.[1] In 1475, the castle was annexed by the Ottoman Empire. During Ottoman reign, the castle was repaired in the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries and a part of the castle was used as a cervansarai.
Architecture
The 23,500 square metres (253,000 sq ft) castle is surrounded by moat. The road on the rampart connects the 39 towers or bastions to each other .[2] There are 3 main yards within the castle; west, east and the south. In the yard at the west there is a small complex of a single minaret mosque and the ruins of a hamam (Turkish bath) . In the yard at the south there are ruins of a light house.
References
External links
Categories:- Medieval Anatolia
- Mediterranean Region, Turkey
- Archaeological sites in Turkey
- History of Turkey
- Forts in Turkey
- History of Mersin Province
- Visitor attractions in Mersin Province
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