 | |
  Karakabaklı Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Silifke,Mersin Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Mediterranean Region |
| Coordinates | 36°26′N34°01′E / 36.433°N 34.017°E /36.433; 34.017 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Abandoned | 7th century (?) |
| Periods | Hellenistic Age toByzantine Empire |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists | Semavi Eyice |
Karakabaklı is an archaeological site inMersin Province,Turkey.
Karakabaklı is situated next to Karadedeli village (now a remote neighborhood of Atakent) in the rural area ofSilifke district. In the antiquity this region was calledCilicia Trachaea (Rugged Cilicia). Karakabaklı is to the east of Silifke and to the north of Turkish state highwayD.400. It can be reached via a 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) road fromAtakent which is on D-400. The villa rusticaSinekkale is to north of Karakabaklı. The distance from Karakabaklı to Silifke is 22 kilometres (14 mi) and toMersin is 74 kilometres (46 mi) .
The settlement dates back toHellenistic age. But it was rebuilt and inhabited during theRoman and earlyByzantine ages. It was probably abandoned during theArab–Byzantine wars in the 7th and 8th centuries.[1] Neither Hellenistic nor the Roman name of the settlement is known. Karakabaklı is a Turkish name.[2]
According to ProfessorSemavi Eyice who has studied on the ruins there are many houses and seven of them are in relatively good condition. Four of them are one-storey and three of them are two-storey houses. The building material is limestone. Eyice notes that the percentage of standing buildings is higher in Karakabaklı than in most other ancient settlements. The plans of the houses are not standard and they probably belonged to people of different economic status. There are also, basilicas, atetrapylon, cisterns and a partially unearthed Roman road.[1] The settlement is included in the official list ofArchaeological sites of Turkey.[3]
