Some of the castles are like old people.When they get older and finish their work , they get retired. This is one of the castles. It was constructed on the coast of Western Black Sea (Zonguldak -Ereğli). It is also on the peak of a hill in order to control the sea and the land around it.

It was constructed in 4th century BC by Klearchos who founded first acropolis of Heraklie Pontike. Also a cistern was built in order to supply water for the castle. Today only ruins remained from this castle.

This castle is in border of military zone so it isn’t open for visit. That’s why I considered it as a retired castle. It may be opened for a visit in future.

Imroz was the name of the island where is on the northern of Aegean Sea and it is called Gökçeada today. It is known that there has been settlement for centuries.

As we know that the historical background is dated back to earlier ages. Greek period left valuable heritage in the island. Imroz castle was the important building in order to control the Aegean Sea. The major economical activity has been wine production for centuries.

Eastern Southern region has also a great historical background due to the closeness to Silk Road. This connection to Silk Road makes Southern Eastern peninsula a great region.

Sauras Castle was one of the important castles of Silk Road. Romans built it in 2nd century BC. It was built on the hill in order to keep the region safety and to control the Silk Road.

Mardin province and this part of the peninsula offer us many valuable connection to Mesopotamia and Silk Road.

Eastern Anatolia has a lot of hidden historical treasures. Due to its location, the civilizations left a great heritage. Due to the careless, they are about to destroy. The ruins of Zirvanak region (Erzurum province) are very important for the historical background.

Although this site has an importance, there is a lack of archeological works. It is obvious that those ruins have more to say. They are just waiting for care to light up the past.

Beside the known ancient sites, there are also many unknown ancient sites. Some of them are lost or they couldn’t be discovered although we can come across them in historical sources. Tymandos ancient site is one of the less known ancient sites;

Tymandos site was located between south and central regions. It could be one of the important passage sites. It used to be a small resident but it was upgraded as a site in Diocletianus sovereign. It was decorated with glorious buildings such as imperial gate (You see it above). Then Persian Empire invaded the region, they added some components to the site such as tumulus’ (probably from 6th century BC). By the time, it lost its importance and the stones of the site were used in the region.

It is in Isparta province of Turkey. Due to the limited archeology works, we don’t have sufficient information on the site.

This is the most famous or well-known castle of Mersin. Its outstanding feature is to be built on an island of Mediterranean. It is 600 mt. far away from the coast.

It was built in 1199 by Leon I. It had a very important location, even pirates used this castle as a headquarter. This castle was also built as a settlement area. So various facilities such as chapels were constructed in the inner castle. This castle had an interesting story ( It is like the story of Maiden Tower of Istanbul). An oracle told the king that his daughter would die as a result of a snake bite. So he decided to be constructed this castle in order to protect her. But a snake that hid into the fruit basket reached the castle and she was bitten by this snake. So the omen became true.

It is like a monument in front of the coast. This time period is like the retirement of this castle.