Tumlu (Dumlu) Castle - 19 January 2021

    Tumlu Castle is an Armenian castle built in the 12th century. The handsome structure sits on a limestone outcrop ca. 150 m high. The Armenians were not the first to occupy the place as fragments of a Roman pottery, dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, were found in situ (Pekol 2015). Within the stronghold's solid walls a garrison was stationed which protected an auxiliary trail from modern-day Imamoğlu town to the Kozan-Ceyhan road (Edwards 1987). The castle underwent restoration works in 2014-15 that had to be halted due to safety issues (Pekol 2015). At the time of my visit there was no tourist-friendly access to the interior. To get inside I climbed up an almost vertical rocky wall and squeezed myself through a postern in one of the towers. 

Tumlu Castle from east *

Yılankale (Snake Castle) - 19 January 2021 & 1 September 2018

    Snake Castle is a medieval Armenian castle erected on a limestone outcrop near the Ceyhan river and not far away from the modern city of Ceyhan. The structure is well preserved and attracts a lot of attention since it is visible from the D-400 road running from Adana to Osmaniye to its north. The ascent to the castle is from the south; it is steep at times and some climbing is necessary to get to the highest bailey.

 

Snake Castle from northeast *