Mamure Kalesi Anamur - Although mostly only ruins remain, the Crusader castles exude an air of adventure and past grandeur.

Above all, the stone fortresses along the Turkish coast still bear witness to the strategic knowledge, iron will, and architectural skill of their former owners, the Christian Crusaders who invaded Anatolia from Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Mamure Kalesi near Anamur

The Mamure Kalesi fortress near Anamur, also known as Barbarossa's Castle, is arguably the best-preserved medieval castle complex on the Turkish coast. Once part of the proverbial "rugged Cilicia," the first fortifications on this site are of Roman origin, dating back to the 3rd century. During excavations in 1988, the foundations of buildings were discovered in the castle itself and in the immediate vicinity, which clearly featured Roman mosaics in their interiors. Even a detailed classification as baths or living quarters was still possible.

During the reign of the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia, which was closely allied with the neighbouring Crusader states, the Mamure Kalesi castle was restored and expanded. Given its connection to the Crusaders, it is therefore not surprising that Frankish architectural details can also be found in the castle. With the decline of the Crusader states, the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia also increasingly declined in importance and was gradually taken over by the Karamanoğulları, a tribe from the area around the present-day city of Karaman. Around 1375, the entire coastal strip belonged to the Karamanoğulları clan, who further expanded the castle during the 14th century. The northern wall still bears the inscription of its builder, Karamanoğlu Alâeddinoğlu Mehmedoğlu Sultan İbrahim, as well as the date of its construction, the tenth month of the Islamic lunar year 854 (November/December 1450 according to the Gregorian calendar). Later, until its fall, the Ottomans occupied the Mamure Kalesi.

The Mamure Kalesi castle complex, which can certainly be described as enormous, measures approximately 240 meters lengthwise from east to west and approximately 170 meters crosswise. The walls and masonry are made almost exclusively of rubble stone, rarely of ashlar. The seaside location not only provided protection against this attack but also made it possible to build a moat to protect the walls, which could easily be filled with seawater. The main access gate is located next to the main tower on the east side of the castle, and another gate is located on the northwest side. The vast inner courtyard is divided into three sections by similar walls, so that potential conquerors would have to overcome ever more obstacles. Simply overcoming the mighty outer walls with their 36 castle towers, some of them round and some square, was intended to convey an impression of insurmountability. The walls, some of them two-story, with battlements and loopholes, also contributed to this impression. All battlements were quickly accessible via a highly complex system of stairs and corridors. The stables, living quarters, bathhouses, and storage rooms were partially integrated into the walls. There was even a mosque. An impressive structure.

Geographical location: 36° 4′ 52″ N, 32° 53′ 40″ E

Precision work in the fortress of Mamure Kalesi

Castles like Mamure Kalesi were well-thought-out instruments of military strategy. They usually consisted of two concentric rings of walls interrupted by towers, a large main gate, and one or more side entrances in the outer wall. The keep housed the lord's residence, quarters for his knights, and sufficient space for the peasants from the surrounding area to retreat to the safety of the castle walls during an attack. There was also a chapel, cisterns, storerooms for supplies, and stables for animals, making it essential for any army during the Crusader era.

Protected by armour and mounted on horseback, a brave knight could often prevail against superior opponents with the bare sword. Mamure Kalesi also served, in a sense, as a protective armor for the knights. Battering rams: The range of weapons used against knights and their castles ranged from slings, bows and arrows, and battering rams to siege towers and ditches. Under the cover of the archers, men with metal-tipped sticks removed mortar and stones from the wall in order to place the battering protection by the help of towers

The entrance gates to the castles, as can be seen at Mamure Kalesi, posed special security requirements. Often, a ramp placed attackers in a disadvantageous position, forcing them to fight uphill. In Silifke (southwest of Mersin), this ramp was further protected by a tower from which anyone attacking the gate could be fired upon from behind. Sometimes, as at Bagras south of Iskenderun, several curves were built into the entrance area, preventing free manoeuvring with the battering ram. Often, part of the entrance area was also darkened to confuse the advancing attackers.

Wooden siege towers, towering above the castle, were rolled up against the walls to fire on the defenders from above. However, they could be set on fire or overturned from the castle. The defenders feared the sappers who dug trenches beneath the walls more. They propped these up with wood, which they then set on fire. The collapse of the ditches could cause the walls to collapse; the Arabs successfully used this method against Edessa (Urfa) in 1144.

All-Round Control

The location of a castle was chosen so that the owner could survey his territory and also allow communication via signals. From Yilan Kalesi, which sits in a bend of the Ceyhan River above the Cilician Plain, eight other castles can be seen within a 50-km radius, including Sis (Kozan), Anavaza, and Toprakkale. Castles were often built on rocks above mountain passes. Güllek is positioned above the Cilician Gate in such a way that the sentry could spot an approaching troop by the dust two days' journey south. This gave the defenders time to prepare. Its rocky foundation also made the castle impervious to sapper attacks.

The rugged coastline made the defence of many ports easier. Korycos (Kizkalesi) was connected to the castle, which was located on an island, by a wall in the sea. Blind spot: The castle walls were often protected by a moat. This prevented the archers on the battlements from being attacked from the blind spot below the wall. Towers gave the defenders an overview of the entire attack area. At Yilan Kalesi, the walls follow the natural contours of the slope, allowing the defenders to defend themselves against attacks from various sides. The walls and the entrance gate were also protected by openings through which the defenders could throw stones or pour hot oil.

Military Architecture

The last Crusader castle to be built in Turkey was that of the Knights Hospitaller at Bodrum. Built in 1402 from the stones of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, it is an excellent example of 15th-century military architecture. Construction ceased in the 16th century when the introduction of gunpowder as a propellant rendered such fortifications pointless. Today, it houses a museum of underwater archaeology.

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