Mamure Castle

Mamure Castle (Turkish:Mamure Kalesi) is a medieval castle in theBozdoğan village,Anamur ilçe (district) ofMersin Province,Turkey.

Mamure Castle
Anamur,Mersin Province,Turkey

Site information
Type	Fortress
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Mostly standing.
Location
Mamure Castle
Coordinates	36°04′51″N32°53′40″E / 36.08083°N 32.89444°E /36.08083; 32.89444
Site history
Built by	Roman Empire Byzantine Empire Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia Seljuk Empire

Geography

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The castle is on theMediterranean coast about36°04′51″N32°53′40″E / 36.08083°N 32.89444°E /36.08083; 32.89444, on theD400 highway, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Anamur and 216 kilometres (134 mi) west ofMersin.

History

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Designed to protect against pirates, it was repaired during theByzantine era and during theCrusades. WhenAlaattin Keykubat I ofSeljuk Turks captured the ruins of the castle in 1221, he built a larger castle using elements of the earlier fortifications. Later, it was controlled by theKaramanid dynasty (which was aTurkmen principality inAnatolia). Although the exact date is uncertain, according to an inscription byİbrahim II of Karaman in 1450, the castle was captured duringMahmut's reign (1300–1311). The castle was renamed asMamure (prosperous) after repairs by Mahmut.^[1] In 1469, the castle was annexed by theOttoman Empire.^[2] It was subsequently repaired in the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries and a part of the castle was used as acaravansarai.

Architecture

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The 23,500-square-metre (253,000 sq ft) castle is surrounded by moat. Its 39 towers and bastions are connected by wide ramparts.^[3] The castle has three main courtyards; to the west, the east and the south. The western courtyard contains a small complex of a single minaretmosque and a ruinedTurkish bath. The southern courtyard has the remains of alighthouse.

Cultural depiction

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This castle appears to be the Kalendria on the coast of Cilicia depicted byWilliam Henry Bartlett in 1836. See external links below for the image and an associated poetical illustration byLetitia Elizabeth Landon.^[4] (However, the name Kalendria refers to Kalenderis, what is nowAydıncık, another town about 60 km east of Mamure)