Sinap Castle

Sinap Castle, locally known as Sinap Kalesi, lies in the outskirts of the village of Gözne, 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.

Sinap is more 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 leading to Çandır Castle.

The castle consists of a single rectangular keep with round salients at its corners. It is almost identical in appearance with another castle near Lampron Castle, also with the Turkish name Sinap. It is situated near the bottom of a lush valley.

At present Sinap Castle can freely be visited. It is however quite hidden in a field and bushes behind a house. The castle ruin is very much overgrown and seems to be splitting in two because its northern half looks to be subsiding. A very nice castle, too bad about the overgrowth.

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