Mamure Castle, within the borders of the Anamur district of Mersin, is 6 km southeast of Anamur, on the Mersin-Antalya highway (D-400), by the sea.
Mamure Castle is among the most robust and magnificent castles that have survived to the present day by preserving their original qualities among the Anatolian castles. In addition, Mamure Castle is thought to have been built on an ancient city, as it has always been an important stopping point in the historical process due to its strategic location opening to the Mediterranean Sea and being located on the trade route. It is stated that this ancient city, which exists where Mamure Castle is located, may be called ‘Rygmanoi? This city thought to have been founded in and around the castle in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, is listed among the cities in the central part of the Mountainous Cilicia region in ancient sources.
History
Like many castles in Anatolia, Mamure Castle is thought to have been built in an ancient city. It is stated that this ancient city, which exists where Mamure Castle is located, may be ‘Rygmanoi’. This city thought to have been founded in and around the castle in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, is listed among the cities in the central part of the Mountainous Cilicia region in ancient sources.
In 1988, wall foundations and mosaic remains belonging to the Roman Period were found during the works carried out by the Anamur Museum Directorate in and around the castle. These ruins also strengthened the idea that an ancient city may exist here. The area where the castle is located continued to be used by expanding a little more during the Byzantine Period. Later, the castle continued to be used by expanding the area where it was located at the end of the 12th century and 13th century during the Byzantine Period. Later, the castle came under the rule of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Armenian rule here probably ended in the years following the capture of Alanya by the Seljuks under Alaaddin Keykubat in 1221.
Because it is known that in 1225, the Seljuks extended their conquests to the coast east of Alanya, it is known that Antalya Subashi Mübarizeddin Ertokuş, one of the emirs assigned to the conquest of Çukurova by Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad, conquered about 40 castles, especially Mamure Castle, by advancing from the coast. After these dates, the Karamanids settled here to keep the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia under control.
In the history of Şikari, it is written that upon the invasion and destruction of Anamur and Taşeli by Christians, Karamanoğlu Mahmud Bey defeated the enemy with 36 thousand soldiers and captured the castle, demolished the churches in the castle, built a mosque instead and named the castle ‘Mamuriye.’
During the reign of Karamanoglu Ibrahim Bey (1423-1464 AD), due to the increasing relations with Cyprus and Alanya, Sultan Ibrahim repaired Mamure Castle in 1450 AD. A repair inscription was placed on its gate. According to some sources, Mamure Castle was added to the Ottoman lands by Lala Mustafa Pasha in the middle of the 15th century, and according to Evliya Çelebi, during the reign of Selim II.
It is stated that the castle was repaired twice during the Ottoman Period in the 16th and 18th centuries.
Research History
In his work ‘Kitab-ı Bahriye’ in 1521, Piri Reis’s detailed maps of the Mediterranean coast probably marked the castle in the parts he mentioned as New and Old Anamur. Evliya Çelebi included the following sentences about Mamure Castle in his work titled ‘Travelbook’, which he wrote in the 17th century: “It was a big city and an old castle that was previously in the hands of the Venetians. During the reign of Selim II, Lala Mustafa Pasha conquered, repaired and used it as a transition point for the conquest of Cyprus. It is still a solid castle on a hill by the sea. There is a governor and a special governorship in the Silifke region. It is a 150 akçe district of Mamuriye with 30 villages. A thousand kuruş income is obtained from the district. It has no clerks, district governor or mufti. However, there is a janissary commander, castle commander and 150 soldiers. It has a nice harbor, the Cyprus pier. Etrak tribe does not call it Mamuriye but calls it Anamur Pier. Cyprus is 100 miles away from the southwest side. It has a mosque, inn and bath. But its people always live in the plateaus because the air is heavy.”
In 1811-1812, British Admiral F. Beaufort, with the ship Frederikssteen of the Royal Navy, of which he was the captain, examined the ancient cities on the coasts of Asia Minor, drew their plans and pictures, copied their inscriptions, identified the old names of ancient cities, rivers, villages and gulfs and placed them on his maps. Beaufort mentions that he visited Mamure Castle during his travels to the south of Anatolia and that although the castle was in ruins, there was an agha inside. He gives information about the walls and towers of the castle. He states that the castle resembles the castles of Britain.
Later, Mamure Castle was restored by the General Directorate of Foundations between 1966-1967 and 1970-1973. Recently, various repairs were carried out in the castle between 2013-2014, 2015-2019 and 2020-2021.
Excavations were first carried out by the Anamur Museum Directorate in 1988. As a result of these excavations, new walls connected to the fortification walls were unearthed. In addition, Roman house foundations, other ancient ruins around the tower, and a bath structure were found outside the castle on the plain to the north.
After a long break, excavations were carried out under the supervision of the Anamur Museum Directorate between 2020-2021. Within the scope of these studies, excavations were carried out in the courtyards of the castle and it was stated that residential buildings, cisterns, storage areas and tower structures were found as a result of these excavations.
Architecture
Mamure Castle is similar to other castles built for military purposes in its Period in terms of architectural elements (fortification, tower, moat, mosque, bath, fountain, cistern mosque, bath, fountain, cistern, etc.). However, it differs in terms of its perfect location to prevent attacks from the sea, the large area of 23.500 m2 on which it was built, its visual view and its dominance over the sea, as well as the fact that it contains the structures necessary for life and carries the cultural traces of many civilizations.
The castle has survived to the present day in a remarkably intact condition with its surrounding fortification wall, towers, cisterns, residences and mosques. It is surrounded by a water-filled moat crossed by a bridge on the north side, and smooth-cut block stones and rubble stones were used together in its construction. The castle has three central courtyards in the west, east, and south directions, separated from each other by high walls.
The castle has two entrances. The first is the main entrance gate located northwest of the north courtyard. This gate between two towers with four corner plans has yet to be used today. There is a six-line inscription above this entrance. The inscription’s text consists of two parts: “All praise belongs to Allah, the great ruler and supreme master, the shadow (caliph) of Allah on the earth, the spreader of goodness and favors. The victor, with the help of Allah, the Almighty, the victorious, the crown of religion and state. Sultan Ibrahim, son of Mehmed, son of Alaeddin, son of Karaman, son of Alaeddin – may Allah make his reign lasting and show his leadership to the world. He praised Allah for building and constructing the victorious high castle and the well-developed town as a fortress for the veterans who strive in the way of Allah and as a refuge for the orphans. He completed this work with the help of Allah, the Mighty and the Majestic. ‘(He) was grateful for the favors of his Lord. And his Lord chose him and guided him to the right path (Qur’an, Surat al-Nahl, 16/121).’ The blessed month of Shawwal, one of the months of the year 850, was written as the date.” In summary, it is stated in the inscription that a major repair was made in the castle by Karamanoglu Sultan Ibrahim in 850 AH – 1450 AD.
The other castle gate is the eastern gate, which is still used today. Access to both gates is provided by bridges built over the moat.
The castle’s walls have a powerful defense system with battlements and battlements. It is well fortified against attacks from the sea. The rampart has 39 towers with square, semicircular and round plans. Four of these towers are more significant than the other thirty-five. The tower closest to the sea in the south is the central watchtower with the most beautiful view.
In addition, a network of roads on the city walls traverses the entire castle and provides passage from one side to the other. The body walls with stairs and niches with pointed arches reflect the architectural features of other Turkish castles. In addition, the traces of the repairs during the Karamanoğlu and Ottoman periods can be seen on the castle’s walls.
In the northern courtyard of the castle, there is a single-domed mosque with a fountain, warehouses, cisterns, and structures that may have been the dwelling places of the soldiers. The mosque was built during the reign of the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat. The mosque, which was destroyed in time, was rebuilt by the Ottomans in Hijri 973-Miladi 1565. It was then repaired in 1795, 1968 and 1970-1973. Finally, it was restored in 2020-2021. The mosque consists of a square-plan Harim, the last congregation place, a minaret in the northwest and a fountain. The previous congregation’s place covering the north of the mosque is covered with a shed roof resting on five wooden poles. The Harim is entered through the sentence door in the middle of the last congregation place. The Harim has a square plan and is covered with a dome on a two-stage pulley. Four pointed arches transfer The dome’s weight to the body wall. The mihrab is located in the center of the qibla wall and on the entrance axis. According to historical sources, the mosque has fifty windows, whereas today, it has fourteen. In front of the last congregation place is a rectangular plan and a fountain with a flat vault. The minaret is built as a separate structure northwest of the mosque. The minaret’s base is made of finely cut stone; the shaft, gallery, and octagonal section are made of brick, while the dome and finial are made of lead.
Structures such as residences and cisterns have been uncovered in the excavations conducted in the western courtyard, similar to the other courtyards.
The waterway at the bastion northeast of the main entrance gate provided the castle’s water supply, which was crossed by two pointed arches over the moat. In case the castle was besieged, water was supplied from cisterns in different parts.
Bath
Apart from the structures mentioned above, there are remains of a bathhouse just north of the castle, outside the castle, on the plain land on the edge of the Mersin-Antalya motorway. Uncovered during the 1988 excavations, the entrance of this bath was destroyed, but the cold and warm rooms are intact. A door in the center of the south façade of the bath, built with rubble stones, opens to the undressing area. A third door to the north of the cold room led to the warmth room. The symmetrically opened doors on both sides of the niches opposite the temperature space are opened to the resting place. Very few examples of the original pencil wall decorations have survived to the present day. Octagons, rosettes and interlocking twelve-pointed star motifs in green, yellow, red and black can be seen on the walls. There is no inscription showing the date of the first construction of the bath. However, it is thought that the bath may have been built here in parallel with the process in which Karamanoğlu İbrahim Bey carried out repairs in Mamure Castle in 1450.
Other Items
Mamure Castle is one of the well-preserved medieval castles along the Mediterranean coast, retaining all its splendor. It represents the cultures of different civilizations, such as the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Karamanids, and Ottoman civilizations. Since it was home to many civilizations, it is an extraordinary example representing the critical stages of its history. The structures such as mosques, baths, fountains, warehouses, residences and cisterns in the castle were built during the Period of different civilizations and reflect the architectural features specific to those cultures.
Mamure Castle, located within the Grade I Archaeological and Natural Protected Area, was listed as an immovable cultural asset with the decision of Adana Conservation Board dated 17.12.2004 and numbered 303. Mamure Castle was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2012 due to its architectural, historical, aesthetic, cultural, economic, social and symbolic features.
Mamure Castle, with its rich history of approximately 1500 years, stands right next to the Mediterranean Sea as an important witness of history. With the restorations carried out until today, this imposing castle has been prevented from disappearing day by day and important information that will shed light on the region’s social, economic and cultural history has been obtained. As a result, Mamure Castle will be one of our country’s most important cultural and tourism centers with its strategic location, unique natural landscape, and historical buildings that have been around for different periods.
Prof. Dr Mehmet Tekocak (Selcuk University, Faculty of Letters, Department of Archaeology)
Photos: İsmail Şahinbaş
WORLD HERITAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 2 (APRIL 2024)