Silifke Castle

Silifke Castle is located on a hill 185 meters high within the boundaries of the Silifke district of Mersin. Due to its position on a key transit route connecting Anatolia with Cyprus, the castle was strategically built for both military and commercial purposes. Its location along ancient pilgrimage and trade routes has ensured continuous settlement and struggle for control throughout history.

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Silifke and its surroundings have attracted the attention of various civilizations since antiquity due to their geographical location. The region entered history in the 7th century BCE when the Ionians established a colony named Holmi. Around 300 BCE, Seleucus Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Empire, relocated the population of Holmi to the site of present-day Silifke and founded the city of Seleukeia. During the Hellenistic period, Silifke changed hands between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid kingdoms, and by the 1st century BCE it came under Roman rule.

During the Roman Empire, under Emperor Diocletian (284–305 CE), it became the capital of the province of Isauria. After the division of the Roman Empire in 395 CE, it remained within the territory of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Due to the presence of Saint Thecla, it became an important Christian pilgrimage center during the Byzantine era. The castle was captured by the Seljuks in the 13th century, then by the Karamanids in the 14th century, and finally incorporated into Ottoman territory in 1471 by the Ottoman army under Gedik Ahmet Pasha.

The foundations of Silifke Castle date back to the Hellenistic or early Roman period. Through successive repairs and modifications over time, the castle has acquired the appearance of a medieval structure. The oval-shaped castle is surrounded by a dry moat and contains arched galleries, cisterns, storage rooms, and various structural remains. According to Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatnâme, in the 17th century the castle housed 23 towers, a mosque, and 60 houses. Today, only ten of these towers remain standing.

Traces from the Roman, Byzantine, Karamanid, and Ottoman periods are visible in three distinct cultural layers identified at the site. During the Ottoman period, the castle was not only a defensive structure but also transformed into a residential and commercial center. The presence of the Sultan Bayezid Camii and surrounding social and commercial buildings within the castle demonstrates the transition to a castle-town model during this era.

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Excavation and restoration efforts began in 2011 through a joint project undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and universities. The excavations are led by Professor Dr. Ali Boran of the Department of Art History at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Faculty of Letters. To date, 80 percent of the work has been completed across an area of 30,000 square meters.

Nearly 500 residential units, places of worship, street layouts, and commercial structures have been uncovered during the excavations, along with portable cultural artifacts such as ceramics, glass, and metal objects. Work in areas designated as Hisarpeçe has revealed details of the Ottoman-era reconstruction process. Upon completion of the excavation and restoration works, the castle is expected to be opened to tourism as a major archaeological site under the cultural heritage framework. The findings are displayed at the Silifke Museum.

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