Babaoğlan Castle

Babaoğlan Castle, locally known as Babaoğlan or Babaoğlu Kalesi and sometimes as Simanaklay Kalesi, lies in the wooded hills near the village of Babaoğlu in the province of Osmaniye in Turkey.

Babaoğlan Castle was built by the Byzantines in a time that the Cilician plain was at the frontier of the Byzantine Empire, but exactly when is unknown. It was built as part of a network of smaller fortifications that guarded mountain passes and rivers against repeated assaults from the Seljuks.

During Armenian rule of the area the castle was certainly used by the Armenians but they left no trace of their occupation.

Later Babaoğlan Castle was occupied by the Mamluks.

There is a Hittite rock-cut relief in the rocks beneath the castle, depicting a man and a horse. But as I did not know that when I visited, I did not see it.

Babaoğlan is freely accessible although the nearest road is a dirt road at the foot of the hill. The castle hill and the castle ruin are overgrown and there is no distinguishable path to the castle ruin. A nice secluded little ruin.

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