Softa Kalesi

 

     
 

 

Softa Kalesi  
   

Only 15 km away from the crusader castle Mamure Kalesi, another fortification was erected in late Roman times on a hill 140 metres above the sea. Originally known as "Sycae", the fortress was fortified in Byzantine times, but it was not until the times of the Small Armenian Kingdom (1080 to 1375) that it took on its present appearance.

 
   

 
   

The castle was one of several fortifications built or extended by the small Armenian kings along the Cilician Mediterranean coast. The entrance is on the west side. Inside the complex are the ruins of a palace, a bathroom, several cisterns and a mosque. It is widely believed that there is an underground connection between Softa Castle and Mamure Kalesi, but the distance between the two castles alone makes it more of a myth.

 
   

 
   

There's no way to get to the castle. An ascent is rather dangerous.

 
     
     
Photos: @chim, Monika P.    
Translation aid: www.DeepL.com/Translator    
Source: Wikipedia and others