Hançerkale
Hançerkale (literally "dagger castle") is the popular name given to a Byzantine observation tower ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Geography[edit]
The tower is situated next to a mosque, in Ovacık village of Silifke district. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north of the Turkish state highway D.400. It is accessible by an all-seasons open road. Its distance to Silifke is 17 kilometres (11 mi) and to Mersin is 97 kilometres (60 mi)
Building[edit]
Although the popular name of the ruin is castle, actually it was a 5.3 metres (17 ft)-tall observation tower built in the 6th century.[1] The walls had been built by polygonal masonry technique. There are reliefs of a Dioskuri helmet, a shield, a sword and Herculus' Club on the southern wall.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ Geziyorum (in Turkish)
- ^ Arik, Osman; Çalışkan, Mehmet; Aydın, Ayşe; Aydınoğlu, Ümit; Kerem, Filiz, eds. (2009) [2007]. Mersin: Ören Yerleri, Kaleleri, Müzeleri [Mersin: Oren Places, Castles, Museums] (in Turkish). Prepared by Filiz Kerem; Photographs by Selami Türk; Graphic design by Tanrtim Sanatlari (First ed.). Istanbul: Ekin Grubu (2007, first edition); İl Özel İdaresi (2009 edition). p. 196. ISBN 978-605-4196-07-4. OCLC 805652523. ISBN (invalid as printed in first edition) 975-585-787-9. Archived from the original on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2020-08-30.