photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Dick Osseman | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Anavarza and Anavarza Castle tree view | thumbnails | slideshow | map

Anavarza and Anavarza Castle

Bütün Türkiye resimleri için buraya basınız veya diğer kalesiler
This gallery is in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea topic
Click here for my page with very many Turkish cities or see more castles

As I indicated at my Yılankale or Snake Castle gallery, a student from Adana, Kerem Kemaneci, suggested some destinations near that city, such as some of the great castles dispersed all over the Cukurova plain. The day after my arrival in March 2008 we – together with his friend Ibrahim Çalık, first visited the Snake Castle and then made our way to the one at Anavarza. This is built on a steep cliff and only accessible from one side, the South. On the plain below lie the remains of the city of Anavarza near the Dilekkaya village. That city was founded in the 9th century BC by the Assyrians, later to become Roman and Byzantine. The castle was used as a border defense against the Arabians by the Byzantines. It was restored by the Abbasid calif Harrun Reşit, who captured the castle in 795.
In the village a Roman gate was most impressive, in the plain the remains of some more buildings are visible, but we had to move on to the castle because it was getting late in what after all was a winters’ day. The climb was along an ancient flight of stairs. Views were wonderful, and the castle itself most impressive. There is a big courtyard with the remains of a church in the first part of the castle. Then you have to do some more climbing to reach what felt like the inner castle, even higher up the hill. Here we met some people who kindly took us back to nearby Ceyhan, us travelling on to Adana. They are one of the pictures, next to one of the ancient graves around the village. A mosaic in the museum was hardly visible in the lamp light, it is similar to ones I saw in Gaziantep end Antakya. I hope to return to this most impressive spot, now that I know how to get there.
A viewer adds:
During the first crusade, the Crusaders took Anavarza (called Anazarbus at the time) in 1098. During that siege the castle on the ridge was almost completely destroyed. As the Frankish knights had no further interest in the place, it was a breeze for the Armenian Prince Thoros I to lay the hand on the city, which became his first capital. Together with Sis (now: Kozan), Anazarbus (and their respective castles) formed the backbone of the newly established Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Thoros I rebuilt the acropolis fortifications, not only the fortress, but extended it to a full-size fortified upper town, with impressive city walls and at least two churches. The Armenians called the place Anavarza.
The city and its castle were repeatedly under siege, and the Armenians lost them twice to the Byzantines in the following fifty years. At last, the Byzantines pulled back in 1148 and Anavarza regained its position as royal city again. A number of Armenian princes and kings were buried in the royal burial church.
When Lewon VI, the last Armenian prince on the throne, became king in 1374, his last and only possessions were Sis and Anavarza; a few months later (1375) their castles were taken by the Mamluks from Egypt. But Anavarza was of no interest to them, and the city quickly depopulated and soon was abandoned.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Guides Bleus: Turqu
previous pagepages 1 2 ALL next page
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2750.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2750.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2751.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2751.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2752.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2752.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2753.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2753.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2754.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2754.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2755.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2755.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2756.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2756.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2757.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2757.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2758.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2758.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2759.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2759.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2760.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2760.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2761.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2761.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2762.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2762.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2763.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2763.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2764.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2764.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2765.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2765.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2766.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2766.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2767.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2767.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2768.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2768.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2769.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2769.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2770.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2770.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2771.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2771.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2772.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2772.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2773.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2773.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2774.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2774.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2775.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2775.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2776.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2776.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2777.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2777.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2778.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2778.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2779.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2779.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2780.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2780.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2781.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2781.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2782.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2782.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2783.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2783.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2784.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2784.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2785.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2785.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2786.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2786.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2787.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2787.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2788.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2788.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2789.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2789.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2790.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2790.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2791.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2791.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2792.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2792.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2793.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2793.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2794.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2794.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2795.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2795.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2796.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2796.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2797.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2797.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2798.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2798.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2799.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2799.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2800.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2800.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2801.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2801.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2802.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2802.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2803.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2803.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2804.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2804.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2805.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2805.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2806.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2806.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2807.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2807.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2808.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2808.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2809.jpg
Anavarza and Anavarza Castle 08032008 2809.jpg
previous pagepages 1 2 ALL next page