Kızlar Castle

Kızlar Castle, locally known as Kızlar Kalesi or often also as Kız Kalesi, lies on a mountain southeast of the village of Çavuşlu, 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.

Kızlar Castle is clearly the work of Armenian masons. It most probably belonged to the Knights Hospitaller from 1214 on, as they were granted lands in the region in that year by the Armenian king. The castle has very clear intervisibility with Oğlan Castle to the north. An old road from Adana north to Pozantı ran beneath it, which it probably guarded.

The castle, situated on an almost conical mountain of some 550 meters high, consists of a keep that looks like a rectangle with a 45 degree bend almost in the middle. It connected to a circuit wall that encompassed the summit of the mountain. The keep's original entrance can not be discerned. Inside are several rooms, connected through stairways and doorways.

Kızlar Castle is freely accessible. To reach it you will have to make a hike of about 45 minutes; first over a rocky dirt road and then via a small, sometimes almost indistinguishable path. But in my opinion, a visit is really worth it. A great ruin with beautiful rooms, offering wide views of the surrounding area. The floors of the ground floor rooms are covered in animal dung, most likely from sheep or goats, although I didn't see any during my visit. What I did see, however, was a large black snake slithering away from me in the area at the back of the castle. So be careful.

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