Korykos today is located within the boundaries of Kızkalesi Neighborhood, part of the Erdemli district of Mersin. The remains related to the city, approximately 60 kilometers from Mersin, are predominantly situated along the eastern border of Kızkalesi.
In an approximately 5.5-hectare area east of the modern Kızkalesi settlement, the architectural remains of Korykos and its necropolis can be observed. The necropolis valley, located in the northern part of the city and covering approximately half of this expansive area, constitutes one of the richest necropolis areas in the region.
‘Gates of Cilicia’
Korykos, one of the important port cities of the Eastern Mediterranean, was known as Cilicia in ancient times. Cilicia has been a strategic point throughout history due to its location as a connection point between Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and the Mediterranean, facilitated by the Gülek and Sertavul passes, also known as the “Cilician Gates” (Kilikiai Pylai). Strabo (Geographika XIV, 1) mentions that Cilicia consists of two separate regions: Mountainous Cilicia (Kilikia Tracheia) and Plain Cilicia (Kilikia Pedias). Kilikia Tracheia is situated in the mountainous region from Coracesion (Alanya) to Soloi Pompeiopolis (Mezitli). At the same time, Kilikia Pedias encompasses the coastal area from Soloi Pompeiopolis to Alexandria kat Isson (İskenderun).
As a port city in Kilikia Tracheia, Korykos holds strategic significance in facilitating maritime connections within the region with the Levant, Egypt, and particularly Cyprus.
From the Hellenistic Period to the Present Day
Although the exact founding period of Korykos has yet to be precisely discovered, available data indicate that the city existed during the Hellenistic period. The city’s name was initially recorded among the cities seized by Antiochos III (223-187 BC) in Cilicia during his campaign in 197 BC.
The coins of Korykos minted in the first century BC are recognized in the literature. Coins depicting Tyche with a city crown on its obverse suggest that walls surrounded the city during the Hellenistic period. Nevertheless, the city’s existence until the Middle Ages has resulted in the representation of Hellenistic architecture, with only sparse evidence, such as partially traced defensive walls in the ancient city center.
Following the establishment of Roman sovereignty in Cilicia, there are intensive construction activities in Korykos as in the whole region during the ‘Pax Romana’ process. This period also resulted in the city’s expansion in terms of its area. It is understood that Korykos spread over a wider area than the Hellenistic period, expanded to the east beyond the borders of the section considered home to the Hellenistic city, and reached a surface area of around 2.5 hectares. Elements such as the Harbour Gate, the Great Temple, the Small Temple, the Colonnaded Street and the North Gate, the Great Bath, the Small Bath and the Colonnaded Building can be counted among the evidence of this transformation and growth.
It is understood that the city’s core lay east of the present-day land fortress during this period. The Great Temple, dated to the 2nd century AD and located on the northwestern shore of the bay, and the Small Temple, understood to be on the same axis and to the east of the temple, are the religious buildings that have survived from the Roman period. Historical records mention the existence of another temple, which was documented by travelers about a century ago and is likely buried underground today.
The Great Bath, the Small Bath and the Great Bath, located to the northeast of the bay and the remains of some buildings whose functions have not yet been determined, indicate that the city center was found in this area during the Roman imperial period. A colonnaded street (cardo maximus), which must have started from the Port Gate, which has survived to the present day as part of the western fortification system of the Korykos Fortress and dated to the 3rd century AD, must have reached the city center by extending eastwards. The city coins of this period indicate that this period, during which a flamboyant arch was built at the city’s harbor entrance, marked a bright phase of Korykos. During this era, the city served as one of the empire’s most crucial naval bases in the east.
In the early Christian period, Korykos was a bishopric center under the Metropolitanate of Tarsus. In the late antique period, when Christianity spread in the region, it can be observed that construction activities, especially religious construction, extended beyond the city walls. It is understood that many churches were built in this period, seven within the city walls and five outside the city walls.
The stone-paved Roman road connecting Korykos and Elaiussa Sebaste connects to a tetrapylon when it reaches the city’s most important church, the transept-planned Church G. On the south bank of the road, which continues westwards from the tetrapylon, symbolizing the entrance to Korykos from the east, the three major churches of the city are lined up on an axis. Together with the Tomb Church, which has a unique plan, the entrance to the necropolis area of Korykos is also provided. Epigraphic data and literary sources show that Korykos was home to many saint cults during this period.
The rise of Korykos, which accelerated during the Roman imperial period, continued throughout the late antique period, and the city became one of the region’s most important production and commercial centers. The abundance of olive oil and wine workshops identified in the hinterland suggests production exceeding local demands, with surplus products being exported. The variety and diversity of occupations inferred from the inscriptions found, especially in the necropolis area, also indicate the wealth of Korykos until the end of late antiquity.
Starting in the mid-7th century, the Arab raids brought sociological and economic problems throughout Anatolia. However, it is also known that Korykos was still used as a commercial base during the Arab raids that lasted until the 9th century.
The Byzantine Empire, which re-established its political sovereignty in the region after the end of the Arab raids, built a castle in 1099 in the harbor area at the city’s western end to secure Anatolia’s trade, especially with Cyprus.
The Byzantine castle, forming the initial phase of the present-day structure, featured fortification walls approximately 60-70 cm thick, bolstered by defense towers at the corners and along the wall’s perimeter.
In 1045, after the collapse of the Ani-based Bagratuni Dynasty, the Byzantine Empire aimed to create a buffer zone with the Arab State in the south by migrating the Armenian population to Cilicia. During this period, strong defense structures were built and existing defense structures were strengthened in Cilicia, under constant attack by the Mamluk Empire from the south and the Karamanoğulları Principality from the north.
During the Middle Ages, the walls of the first phase of the Korykos Castle were thickened by building reinforcement walls from inside and outside. A thick outer wall was built around the castle with large cut stones and reused building blocks from ancient Korykos. The first phase of the castle was transformed into an inner castle.
By excavating a deep and wide moat outside the outer wall, the castle became a strong defense structure that was extremely difficult to capture.
After 1360, Korykos, estimated to have turned into a fortress city, passed to the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus. Korykos Castle, which has a robust defense system, remained in the hands of the Latin Kingdom of Cyprus for about a century and was captured by the Karamanids in 1448.
Two churches, a chapel, a cistern, a two-story building that should have been an administrative building, and a masjid dating back to the Karamanid period can be seen inside the castle. Ongoing archaeological excavations at the castle aim to uncover buried structures and further understand their historical significance.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Şener Yıldırım (Mersin University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Art History
Photos: İsmail Şahinbaş
WORLD HERITAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 (APRIL 2024)