Oğlan Castle

Oğlan Castle, locally known as Oğlan Kalesi, lies on a small rocky outcrop in a field east of the village of Çokak, 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.

Oğlan Castle was most probably a defensible hall or tower house. It was probably built sometime in the early 13th century. It is thought to have been built by Armenian masons for Crusaders; in this case the Knights Hospitaller who were granted lands in this region in 1214. For the masonry shows Armenian characteristics, but the plan is unfamiliar in Armenian military architecture and can be compared with Crusader fortifications in the Holy Land.

The castle probably served as the center of an agricultural estate. It has very clear intervisibility with Kızlar Castle to the south. Originally it would most likely have had 2 stories. What remains is mainly a barrel vault, rectangular in plan. The south face of the building, where probably the entrance was situated, has gone.

Oğlan Kalesi is freely accessible. There is not much to see at this site but the very nice barrel vault calls for a quick visit when you are going to visit nearby Kızlar Castle.

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