| Hisarın Castle | |
|---|---|
| Part ofOlba | |
| Mersin Province,Turkey | |
 From the east | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Fortress |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Location | |
  Hisarın Castle | |
| Coordinates | 36°30′26″N34°09′26″E / 36.50722°N 34.15722°E /36.50722; 34.15722 |
| Site history | |
| Built by | Seleucid Empire (?) |
| Materials | Stone |
| Demolished | Most of it |
Hisarin Castle (Turkish:Hisarinkale also known asHisarkale whereHisar means "fort") is a castle ruin inMersin Province,Turkey.
The castle is in the rural area ofErdemli district, to the west of an irregular stream. Although its birds flight distance to the highwayD.400 which connectsMersin toAntalya is about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) there is no direct road to the castle and the castle can be reached by foot through bushy terrain from the village road betweenAyaş andEsenpınar. Its distance to Erdemli is 20 kilometres (12 mi) and to Mersin is 56 kilometres (35 mi).
The history of the castle has not been firmly established. But the polygonal masonry suggests ancient age. (Seleucid Empire orRoman Empire era). The castle was used as a garrison to protect the ancient city to the east of the valley.
The double layer rampart was built by polygonal masonry. The inner side of rampart was supported by backing-walls. There are some compartments to the north which are thought to be workshops of the castle and there are threemausoleums to the north east. There are a number of graves and some rooms to the south of the castle. One important element of the castle is aHeracles figuration on the wall which was a symbol ofOlba Kingdom, a vassal of the Seleucid Empire.[1][2]
