KıZKALESI: SUN, SEA, SAND — AND CASTLES

Today’s Zaman
April 23 2008
Turkey

Over the millennia, Turkey has been inhabited by a succession of
different peoples and civilizations. Each has left their mark.

Hittite rock-reliefs, Greek theaters, Roman aqueducts, Byzantine
churches, Seljuk caravanserais and Ottoman mosques — amongst countless
other remains — litter the nation’s often beautiful landscape. Some
of these sites, backed by campaigns and promotions launched by the
publicity gurus in the Ministry of Tourism, have become iconic. They
appear to sum up, in a series of startling photographic images,
everything this fascinating country has to offer. The library of
Celsus at Ephesus, Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, the Commagene heads atop
Mt. Nemrut, the cliff-hanging monastery of Sumela and the palace of
Ä°shak PaÅ~_a above Dogubayazıt sites whose images lack the "in your
face" grandeur and power of the "A" list but which nonetheless command
your attention and intrigue you sufficiently to vow to get around to
visiting them one day. Think, perhaps, of Antalya’s Yivli Minare,
Amasya’s rock-cut tombs or Harran’s "beehive" houses. Top of this
hypothetical "B" list for me, though, would have to be the offshore
ruin of medieval Kızkalesi, or "The Maiden’s Castle."

Situated on the Mediterranean coast between Mersin and Silifke,
Kızkalesi possesses a rare beauty. Traveler and writer Michael Pereira
was fortunate enough to have visited the castle back in the 1960s, when
the rash of development now scarring the mainland opposite the castle
was not even at the itching stage. Pereira, standing on the golden
strand of beach opposite the castle describes it in glowing terms:

"Whether its setting is unique I do not know, but certainly it is
superb. It seems to float upon the water like a ship, its smooth and
rounded towers, menacing yet graceful, thrown into sharp relief against
the brilliant sky and sea. Nothing breaks the outline, no crowding
tree or dipping slope of a hill. It is a perfect silhouette of grey
on blue. Isolated, inaccessible and remote as the legend which clings
to it."

Pereira, hot and bothered after his exertions exploring the ancient
town of Korykos (which lies across the coast road behind the modern
resort of Kizkalesi and can still be visited today) elected to swim the
250 meters or so to the castle. He found little of interest there,
as the interior was just a mass of tumbled masonry and the once
well-patrolled walls home only to noisy sea gulls. Today, of course,
you don’t have to swim to the castle. The western end of the beach has
several boats with captains quite happy to divest you of a few lira
to make the crossing. Unlike Perieira, you’ll have the opportunity
to take photos en route, and be well enough shod to explore inside
the castle without fear of getting a thorn in your foot.

Despite the mess of concrete that has disfigured the town of
Kızkalesi, it is still a great place for a vacation — especially
if you have kids. Most of the accommodation is in small, family run
pensions with shady gardens and easy access to the wonderful beach —
easily the best on this stretch of the Mediterranean. The sand is fine,
soft and shelves very gently into the limpid blue waters of the sea. As
you lay back on a sun-lounger, reading your book under the shade of a
beach umbrella, you can keep an eye on your offspring splashing safely
in the shallows. And of course if they want to build a sandcastle
using the very fine materials to hand, they have a perfect model to
work from — the ever-present Maiden’s Castle seemingly floating on
the sea just a short way offshore. If they complete that one, just
point down the beach to the so-called land castle — another romantic
ruin that was once joined to the sea castle by a causeway. It’s worth
exploring this overgrown ruin, preferably around sunset, when it is
cooler and the encroaching shadows lend an air of mystery. Many of
the materials used in the castle are recycled — purloined from the
remnants of the ancient Roman/Byzantine city of Korykos — including
columns, capitals and other chunks of decorative masonry. The view
from the battlements at this time of day is superb, with the distant
walls, towers and parapets of Kızkalesi mirrored in the placid deep
blue waters of the bay.

If you tire of castles and the beach, there is plenty to do around
Kızkalesi. Just a few kilometers to the west is the charming seaside
village of Narlıkuyu. Here the late Roman Kızlar Hamamı or Bath
of Pompenius is worth a look, with a fine mosaic floor depicting the
Three Graces, minor goddesses in the Greek pantheon of divinities
personifying beauty, gentleness and friendship. There are a number of
fish restaurants here with good reputations — and they are certainly
more atmospheric than the eateries in Kızkalesi. Far more likely to
get your kids attention are the nearby Cennet ve Cehennem. After all,
what kid could resist a trip to heaven and hell! Cennet (heaven)
is a 70-meter-deep gorge formed by the collapse of an underground
canyon, reached by a mighty flight of steps. Beyond the gorge
is a genuine cave, that of Typhon who, according to Greek myth,
was a fire breathing monster with a hundred heads and father of
Cerberus, the fierce three-headed dog who guarded the entrance to
the underworld. Handily enough, virtually next door to heaven is hell
(cehennem). A 120-meter-deep sinkhole rather than a true cave, it is
supposedly where Zeus imprisoned Titan and, according to local legend,
marks one of the entrances to the underworld.

If the heat is not too unbearable there are a number of classical
era ruins scattered in the hills behind Kızkalesi, and along the
coast to the east. Adamkayalar is perhaps the most interesting. Here
a terraced rock face is punctured by Roman era tombs with relief
carvings of the dead — but be warned — the path up is steep and
rock-face precipitous, so take care. Three kilometers along the
coast is the modern village of Ayat, ancient Elaeusa Sebastae. The
remains here date from the Roman and Byzantine periods. The pick of
the monuments is a well-preserved temple, with a number of Corinthian
columns still standing. Further on lie the remains of another ancient
city — Kanytelis or, in Turkish, Kanlıdivane (place of blood). The
ruins here are grouped around a large chasm some 90 meters long,
70 meters wide and 60 meters deep. Locals believe it was used to
execute criminals — first by throwing them into the chasm and then
by watching them be devoured by wild animals. It’s a good story for
the kids even if it is only local lore.

Kızkalesi has a great beach, friendly family pensions, plenty of
things of interest nearby — and an iconic fairytale castle. What
more could anyone ask for?

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The legend Your kids may be intrigued to learn the legend of
Kızkalesi referred to by Pereira. It seems that a local king had a
very beautiful and much loved daughter. Unfortunately, a soothsayer
visiting the court one day foretold that this attractive girl would
die tragically young — after being bitten by a venomous snake. In
an attempt to thwart destiny, the king ordered a castle to be built
out to sea. Once the castle was completed the king sent his daughter
off to live there — protected from serpents by the natural barrier
of the sea and castle’s ramparts. The girl passed her time quite
happily until her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, as a gift the king
decided to send his daughter a present — a basket of figs. Excitedly
the girl uncovered her treat — only to reveal a deadly viper hidden
amongst the delicious fruit. Destiny was not to be averted and the
girl succumbed to its deadly bite. Locals claim the castle is still
inhabited by venomous snakes — descendents of the lethal viper — so
it may be better to tell your kids this tale after a trip to the ruins!

The real story The real story of the twin castles is interesting
enough. They were built in the 12th century when this region was
part of the Cilician Kingdom of Armenia (set up by Armenians fleeing
eastern Anatolia following the arrival of the Seljuk Turks in 1071)
to protect the flourishing port and town of Korykos from seaborne
invasion. During the 12th and 13th centuries this region was much
affected by the passage of the Crusaders, traveling through en route to
the Holy Land. In the 14th century the famous Crusader Lusignan dynasty
assumed control of the Cilician Kingdom of Armenia (through marriage)
and King Peter used the castle as a base against the Muslim Turks in
Anatolia. In the end, though, Islam prevailed. In 1448 the castle fell
to one Ä°brahim Bey and became an Ottoman possession not long after.

[TRAVEL TIPS] How to get there: Nearest airport, Adana (regular
flights from Ankara, Istanbul and Antalya). Frequent buses from Adana
to Kızkalesi (2 hours).

Where to stay: Yaka Hotel Tel: (324) 523 2444;
Hantur Tel: (324) 523 2322; hotelhantur@tnnn.net.tr

Where to eat: Kızkalesi: Pata Restaurant Narlıkuyu: Kerim Rerstaurant

Admission times and fees: Kızkalesi (Maiden’s Castle): Daily, dawn
to dusk 2 YTL Korykos (land) Castle: Daily, dawn to dusk 2 YTL Bath
of Pompenius at Narlıkuyu: 2 YTL Cennet ve Cehennem: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.,
2 YTL Kanlıdıvane: 8 a.m.-7 p.m., 2 YTL

Guides and books: "Blue Guide Turkey; Mountains and a Shore" by
Michael Pereira

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