Cin Tower

Cin Tower, locally known as Cin Kule/Kulesi, lies in the town of Payas, in the province of Hatay in Turkey.

There is little information about any pre-Ottoman settlement at Payas. In the 2nd half of the 16th century the Ottomans settled Payas to make it a complementary port to Ayas, on the other side of the Gulf of Alexandretta. They built 2 fortifications here under the patronage of the Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha; the Cin Tower which guarded the harbor and the larger Payas Castle which, situated a bit more inland, protected a complex called a bedesten formed by a mosque, a bazaar and a madrasa. The tower and the castle are only about 700 meters apart.

Payas remained a thriving trading center until the mid-19th century when considerable damage was inflicted on the site by the troops of Kücük Ali.

In the beginning of this century the ruined Cin Tower was restored and afterwards taken into use as a restaurant which was in operation until at least 2019.

At present Cin Tower can freely be visited, there is a small public park in front of it. A nice fortification, sad that it was abandoned again.

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