Tumil Castle

Tumil Castle, locally known as Tumil Kalesi, lies on a hill called Tırmıl Tepe in the city of Mersin, in the province of Mersin in Turkey.

Tumil 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. Its present Turkish name was maybe given because the hill on which the castle lies resembles or maybe is a tumulus.

Deduced from the architectural remains, the castle probably dates back to the 13th century. It was most probably a fief given by the Armenians during the Crusades to the Knights Hospitaller. It had a square plan with 4 round corner towers, which is probably a Crusader design as it was unknown in Armenian military architecture. The castle shares this design with the castles of Karafrenk, Kütüklü and Yaka. Tumil may have had intervisibility with Yaka Castle to the northeast and Hebilli Castle to the north.

At present Tumil Castle can freely be visited. It is however situated in a bit run down industrial area and there were a couple of wild Turkish Kangal Dogs wandering around the site. Still a nice castle remnant.

Gallery