Hebilli Castle

Hebilli Castle, locally known as Hebilli Kalesi, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Mersin in Turkey.

Hebilli Castle is situated in a region called Cilicia, which was the area of an Armenian kingdom between the end of the 11th century until the late 14th century. As with most of the fortifications in this area, neither its medieval name nor its history are known.

Turkish sources claim that it was built by an Umayyad commander, called Kaleh Habellieh, after the Umayyads conquered the region. The Umayyad Caliphate however reigned from 661 until 750 AD. Maybe the Umayyad fortification was a predecessor of the current ruined castle. Because these ruins look much more late-medieval to me. Also, it looks like it had a square plan with 4 round corner towers, which is probably a Crusader design as it was unknown in Armenian military architecture. A design it shares with the nearby castles of Tumil, Kütüklü and Yaka. So the present ruins probably date back to the 13th century and the castle may have been a fief given by the Armenians to a military order.

The castle and village are situated on an elongated hill, running from east to west, next to the Deliçay River and overlook the fertile plain sloping off to the coast. It may have had intervisibility with Tumil Castle to the south.

At present Hebilli Castle can freely be visited, although its interior is fenced off. A beautiful, sturdy looking castle ruin.

Gallery