Kızkalesi
Kızkalesi, also known as the Sea Castle, is one of the symbolic structures of the Mersin coastline. It is located on a small island in the middle of the sea on the Erdemli coast of Mersin with its magnificent walls preserved until today. There are various rumors about the construction of the castle. According to the inscription found here, the castle was built in 1199 by Leon I. However, according to the famous historian Herodotus, the castle built by a Cypriot prince named Korykos was first named after him. Strabo mentions that during the Roman period, pirates used the castle as a shelter. The establishment of Kızkalesi, which was under the domination of the Seleucids, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, Armenians, French, Karamanids and Ottomans throughout history, dates back to BC. It dates back to the 4th century. The average distance of the castle from the shore is about 600 meters and visitors can go to the castle by swimming or by pedalo. Kızkalesi was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2014. There is a very common legend told about Kızkalesi. Legend has it that an oracle tells the king that his daughter will die by being bitten by a snake. To save his daughter, the king builds a castle in the middle of the sea and places his daughter there. One day, the snake hiding in a basket of grapes still enters the castle and kills the girl. The Maiden's Tower in Istanbul has a similar story.
