Kizkalesi Castle

Two fortresses on the Cilician coast, standing opposite one another: one right on the shore, the second on a small island two hundred metres from land. Both were built in the twelfth century by the Armenian rulers of Cilicia on the site of an earlier Byzantine fortification; between them, according to tradition, ran a causeway whose traces can be seen under the water. The island fortress gave the village its name: Kızkalesi means maiden's castle. The legend is the usual one for such places — a king was told that his daughter would die of a snakebite, he hid her on the island, and the snake arrived in a basket of grapes. The shore fortress has survived less well: its walls with their towers and arched openings stand right on the beach, among the sunloungers, and you can walk inside freely. In summer boats run out to the island fortress, and some people swim across — the distance is short, but the current here is noticeable.

On the map