Gözne Castle

Gözne Castle, locally known as Gözne Kalesi, lies in a village of the same name, in the province of Mersin in Turkey.

The castle is situated in a region called Cilicia, which was the area of an Armenian kingdom between the end of the 11th century until the late 14th century. As with most of the fortifications in this area, neither its medieval name nor its history are known.

Gözne is more like a fortified estate house than a true castle. It is an Armenian construction, most probably built in the late 12th or 13th century. It probably served as the center of an agricultural district and housed the local baron with his family, while also protecting an important nearby trail.

It was built on a small limestone spur overlooking the valley and consists of a main rectangular keep and a separate polygonal tower.

At present Gözne Castle can be visited for a small fee. The fee however only allows entrance to the park in front of it and the platform between the 2 buildings. The interior of the buildings is closed off with grated doors. The park itself with its picnic spots is a bit dilapidated. But still a nice castle, too bad about the graffiti though. Sinap Castle is nearby.

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