Yılankale

Yılankale is a medieval castle sitting on a steep, rocky hill that rises abruptly from the middle of the plain on the eastern bank of the Ceyhan River. The Adana Metropolitan Municipality guide gives its distance from the city centre as 45 kilometres; Turkish Wikipedia states that it lies 13 kilometres from Ceyhan and 3 kilometres from the old E-5 highway. The Yılankale junction on the motorway also takes its name from the castle. The castle overlooks the Çukurova plain and the historic Silk Road route that crossed the Taurus Mountains and descended to Antioch. To the west, on the other bank of the river, lies Sirkeli Höyük, known for its Hittite reliefs. The sources describe the construction of the castle in different ways. The Culture Portal and the municipal guide attribute the building to the Byzantines in the period of the Crusades. Turkish and English Wikipedia, however, date the castle to the late 12th and 13th centuries and name King Levon I of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia as its possible founder; its Armenian name is Levonkla, meaning "Levon's fortress". Traces of Byzantine, Crusader and Armenian repairs can be seen on the structure, and the Armenian repairs are clearest in the vaults above doors and windows. An Armenian inscription documenting these repairs also survives on the building. The castle was abandoned in the middle of the 14th century during the rule of the Ramazanoğulları. The old name of the castle is recorded as Kovara or Govara. Evliya Çelebi, who passed through the area in the 17th century, called it Şahmeran Castle because the legend of Şahmeran was believed to have taken place here. The Culture Portal notes that the Seyahatname speaks of snakes living in herds inside the castle. According to another local story, the castle is full of snakes fed on milk, and one day, when the milk runs out, these snakes will come down to Misis. Today's name, Yılankale or "Snake Castle", is the legacy of these tales. Architecturally, the castle is a chain of walls and towers carefully fitted to the folds of the rocky hill. A study by the archaeologist Edwards published in 1987 analyses the plan as three baileys; the two lower baileys were designed to protect the south-eastern wing. The walls, horseshoe-shaped towers and vaulted rooms are built of carefully cut rusticated masonry. Turkish Wikipedia gives the circumference of the castle as 700 metres and mentions eight two-storey towers with crenellations between them. Reaching the castle square only after passing through three gates, and the portable ladders that linked the gates, made the castle extremely difficult to capture. A visit begins at the main gate on the south side of the castle. The Culture Portal explains that from this gate, stone-stepped stairs climb up to the terraces. Look out for the relief in the gatehouse of a king seated on a throne with a rampant lion on each side. For a long time this figure was thought to be Levon I, but iconographic and archaeological evidence points to Hethum I or Hethum II instead. The highest section holds the area where the garrison lived, the cisterns and the remains of a small chapel. Once you are at the top, the real reward is the view. According to the Culture Portal, the castle keeps the Anavarza, Tumlu and Kozan castles on the plain within its line of sight. Below you can see at once the narrow gorge where the Ceyhan River passes between the hills and opens onto the plain, Sirkeli Höyük on the far bank and the road running along the valley. This view explains in a single glance why the castle was built exactly here. English Wikipedia notes that the castle is open to the public and was renovated in the summer of 2014. The path is uphill and the steps climb between uneven rocks; wear sturdy shoes and carry water. In the Çukurova summer the midday hours on the hilltop are very hot, so come early in the morning or in the late afternoon. It is a good idea to check current visiting conditions with the provincial directorate of culture and tourism before you go. The castle can be reached by vehicles heading towards Ceyhan and can be visited on the same day as Sirkeli Höyük.