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Kozan and Anavarza, the Plain of Castles
Historical Sites

Kozan and Anavarza, the Plain of Castles

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Heading northeast out of Adana, the flat cotton fields and citrus orchards of Çukurova seem for a while as if they will never end. Then a rocky mass rises from the middle of the plain like an island, and behind it the first ridges of the Taurus Mountains come into view.

Kozan, Adana
Historical Sites
Radar Editör
October 19, 2026

About Trip

Heading northeast out of Adana, the flat cotton fields and citrus orchards of Çukurova seem for a while as if they will never end. Then a rocky mass rises from the middle of the plain like an island, and behind it the first ridges of the Taurus Mountains come into view. This trip connects those two rocks: in the morning you look at the castle of Anavarza on the plain, in the afternoon you arrive beneath the walls on Kozan's ridge. Both castles served as capitals of the same medieval kingdom, and according to the sources one can be seen from the summit of the other. The real subject of the day is Kozan, known in the past as Sis; Anavarza is the opening scene of the journey.

From Sis to Kozan, the story of a name

Kozan is the largest district of Adana by area. Turkish Wikipedia gives its area as 1,903 square kilometres and says the town was founded where the flat land of the so-called Upper Plain gives way to hills, at an average altitude of 137 metres above sea level. The oldest known name of the town is Sis or Siski; in the Roman period it was for a time called Flavias or Flaviopolis, and in the late Byzantine period the Greek form Sision came back into use. The present name comes from the Kozanoğlu family who ruled the area between 1689 and 1865; English Wikipedia writes that Kozan was first the name of the administrative division to which the town belonged and only later passed to the town itself.

The brightest page in the town's history belongs to the Middle Ages. According to the Turkish Wikipedia article on Kozan Castle, from 1177 onwards the castle was the royal residence of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, and at some point between 1180 and 1190 the role of capital was transferred from Anavarza to Sis. The kingdom came to an end in 1375 with the Mamluk siege; English Wikipedia notes that the royal palace, a separate fortified structure just below the castle, was destroyed in that siege and that only two corner towers of its keep still stand. The town passed under Ottoman rule in 1516, and Turkish Wikipedia also reminds us that Kozan was a separate province in the early years of the Republic, until 1926.

Getting there

Turkish Wikipedia puts Kozan 73 kilometres from central Adana; the municipality's guide "100 Places to Visit in Adana" places the castle 78 kilometres away and Anavarza also 78 kilometres away. In short, both stops are about an hour and a half from the city and can comfortably be visited together in one day. Anavarza lies 28 kilometres south of Kozan, within the boundaries of today's Dilekkaya village, so when coming from Adana the most sensible order is to turn off to Anavarza first and then continue north to Kozan.

The Adana Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that Anavarza can be reached by buses heading to Kozan. If you travel by public transport, consider taking a vehicle bound for Kozan from the Adana bus station and getting off at the Dilekkaya turn, or going straight to Kozan and leaving Anavarza for a separate trip; but if you want to see both places in one day, a private car makes things noticeably easier. For departure times and routes, check with the companies at the bus station or on the municipality's transport page before setting off.

A morning at Anavarza

Anavarza is described in detail on its own Keşfet page; here we only say how it fits into the day. The Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that the city covers an area of 1,143 decares and includes its castle together with the triumphal arch, aqueducts, rock tombs, stadium and theatre. According to the Directorate's excavation notes, the triumphal arch, known as the Ala Gate, is the largest known triumphal arch in the region and the only survivor of the city's four great gates. The main street is 34 metres wide, and a 250-metre stretch of it has been excavated and exposed. Looking from the street up to the rock in the morning light is good preparation for understanding the walls you will see in Kozan in the afternoon.

The municipality's guide singles out one detail: the physician Dioscorides, who served in the Roman army in the time of Emperor Nero and whose five-volume De Materia Medica was taught as a basic textbook in medical schools until the eighteenth century, came from Anavarza. The mark this quiet city on the plain left on the history of science is far greater than the size of its ruins.

Kozan Castle

When you reach Kozan you will not need to look for the castle; it stands right in the middle of the town on a steep limestone ridge. English Wikipedia writes that the hill rises to about 400 metres, with the town lying just to its north. The Culture Portal notes that the castle was built in two groups and has a total of 44 towers and bastions. According to Turkish Wikipedia, its main lines follow the rocks for about 700 metres and enclose the two summits of the ridge; laid end to end, the circuit walls add up to almost three kilometres.

The language of the building can be read in its stone. Turkish Wikipedia reports that most of the walls, towers, vaulted cellars and cisterns were built of well-cut rusticated ashlar, a kind of masonry typical of Armenian fortifications. On the southeast side there is a vaulted entrance corridor from the Mamluk period bearing an Arabic inscription; English Wikipedia notes that behind this corridor a simpler gateway may have been the original Byzantine entrance to the site. The inner castle has water wells, cisterns and vaulted rooms used for storage, while the outer castle consists of a wide courtyard enclosed by walls.

The sources do not agree on the age of the castle. The municipality's guide says it was built by the Assyrians, while Turkish and English Wikipedia stress that there is no record of any fortification here before the Byzantine period. The first recorded event is the small settlement at Sis repelling an Arab attack in 704-705; after that the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil had the defences rebuilt in the middle of the ninth century, the castle passed to Byzantium in 962, and in 1113 it was taken by the Rubenid lord Toros I.

As you walk inside the walls, the real reward is the view. Turkish Wikipedia writes that Anavarza, Andıl, Tumlu and Yılankale can all be seen from the castle; the rock you saw on the plain in the morning looks from here like a small island on the horizon. The municipality's guide also notes that the castle has a viewing terrace where you can drink the area's well-known menengiç coffee.

The old bazaar and the Kozan houses

When you come down from the castle into the town, the old bazaar greets you. The municipality's guide writes that thanks to restoration work the bazaar has become one of the most visited spots in Kozan, and that many television scenes have been filmed here. Next to the bazaar, the Hoşkadem Mosque is, according to Turkish Wikipedia, dated by the inscription over its door to 1448 and is one of the buildings of the first period after Çukurova came under Turkish rule; you can look at the inscription on its portal as an architectural detail and continue your walk.

Another highlight of the town is the Old Kozan Houses. The guide describes this street as a living example of Anatolian life in the recent past, adding that after restoration it has become one of the town's prominent sights and continues to serve as a set for films and television series. Walk slowly along the street and look at the facades one by one; some of the houses may be private property, so do not enter courtyards without permission.

The Kilgen Stream, the Stone Bridge and the dam

If the day runs long, go down to the Kilgen Stream that divides Kozan in two. English Wikipedia writes that this stream is one of the tributaries of the Ceyhan River. According to the municipality's guide, the Kozan Stone Bridge over the stream has eleven arches and shows Roman-period features; it is considered the third largest bridge in Çukurova after the Stone Bridge in Adana and the Misis Bridge, and it is now closed to vehicles. That means you can walk across it at ease and look at the arches from the water's edge.

About eight kilometres north of the town lies Kozan Dam. Turkish Wikipedia reports that the dam was built on the Kilgen Stream for irrigation between 1967 and 1972, that its lake covers 6.42 square kilometres at normal water level and that it irrigates 10,220 hectares of farmland. The municipality's guide writes that the reservoir gathers at the foot of Karasis Castle and that boat trips are organised on it; you will need to ask locally whether boats are running that day.

Season and time of day

Summer in Kozan is harsh. English Wikipedia writes that in July and August temperatures often rise above forty degrees, with the highest recorded value of 48.4 degrees on 13 August 2023; the same source recalls that summer heat drives townspeople to the high, wooded pastures. So the best time for this trip is spring or autumn. Between March and May the plain is green and the Taurus peaks are snowy; in October and November the light softens and the walk on the castle ridge stops being exhausting.

If you have to come in summer, reversing the order makes sense: climb to Kozan Castle before the sun is high, spend the midday heat in the shaded bazaar of the town, and leave Anavarza for the late afternoon. Because the main street and the triumphal arch at Anavarza are completely exposed, staying there long at midday is hard.

Practical notes

At both castles the walk follows a stony and in places steep path; wear shoes that do not slip and support the ankle, and bring plenty of water and a hat. There is very little shade inside the castles. Do not climb onto the edges of the walls or the ruined towers; the stones may be loose.

Excavation and restoration work continues at Anavarza; the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism writes that around five hundred blocks that fell from the triumphal arch were documented one by one and moved to a stone park. Do not enter excavation areas or sections closed off with tape. For visiting conditions, opening days and any fees at the archaeological site and the castles, check the current information on the website of the Adana Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism.

Those who want to see Kozan by staying a night rather than in a single day can give the morning to the castle and the afternoon to the banks of the Kilgen and the area around the dam. Do not leave without tasting the local menengiç coffee and the citrus fruit of Çukurova.

Sources

Location - Kozan and Anavarza, the Plain of Castles

Trip Info
CityKozan, Adana
TypeHistorical Sites
DateOctober 19, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions