 Second church in Emirzeli | |
  Emirzeli Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Erdemli,Mersin Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Mediterranean Region |
| Coordinates | 36°32′N34°06′E / 36.533°N 34.100°E /36.533; 34.100 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Hellenistic Age toByzantine Empire |
Emirzeli (İmirzeli) is a group of ruins inMersin Province,Turkey.
Emirzeli is a part ofKarahmetli village inErdemli district of Mersin Province. The road to Emirzeli detaches from Turkish state highwayD.400.Kanlıdivane, an important religious center of the antiquity is also on this road. The distance from Emirzeli to Erdemli is 28 kilometres (17 mi) and toMersin is 64 kilometres (40 mi).
The earliest ruins in Emirzeli are from theHellenistic era, dating to the 2nd century BC. The settlement was an important town of the Hellenistic kingdom ofOlba. After the collapse of the Hellenistic states, the settlement became a part of theRoman andByzantine Empires. Later the site seems to have been abandoned. The modern village was founded to the east of the site by aTurkmen tribe.
The castle at the north with polygonal masonry was built in the second century BC. Its dimensions are 105 x 60 m2 (345 x 200 ft2), but only the tower at the east wall is standing. Aphallus can be seen on the wall. Some stones of the castle were probably re-used in later buildings. To the south of the castle there is a part of stone pergola from the Roman era. On the south hill there are ruins of threebasilica-style churches, probably from the early Byzantine era (5th or 6th century). The second church is partially standing.[1]
