ARCHITECT ATLAS
Loading atlas
Mamure Castle

Mamure Castle

Photo: Beñat Irasuegi · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Location
Anamur, Turkey
Client / Owner
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
Year
Completed 1221
Access
Public
Style
—

Mamure Castle is a medieval fortress in Bozdoğan village, Anamur district, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast about 4 miles (6 kilometers) east of Anamur. The rulers of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia built it, and its original purpose was defense against pirates. It was repaired in the Byzantine era and during the Crusades.

Seljuk Sultan Alaattin Keykubat I captured the ruins in 1221 and built a larger castle using the earlier fortifications. The Karamanid dynasty later controlled it and probably renamed it Mamure, meaning prosperous. The Ottoman Empire annexed it in 1469, and part of it served as a caravanserai.

It covers about 253,000 square feet (23,500 square meters) and is surrounded by a moat. It has 39 towers and bastions linked by wide ramparts, and three main courtyards. The western courtyard has a small mosque and a ruined Turkish bath. The castle is mostly standing and open to the public.

Comments

  • Loading comments…
Be kind. Anyone can flag a comment for review.

Sign in

or

Your profile

3 to 24 letters, numbers, underscores or periods. It’s shown with your comments.

Save to list

    Edit information

    We look the building up on Wikipedia for you. Architect Atlas lists buildings that have their own Wikipedia article: our test for notoriety and our source of truth.

        Typology
        Style (one to three)
        Photo (shown in a 4:3 frame)

        Drag and zoom to frame the building well. New photos are checked before they appear.

        Every change is checked before it goes live: facts against Wikipedia, photos by eye.