“Earthen Castle”
Drivers heading east from Adana towards Osmaniye will pass, on the lefthand side of the road, the massive remains of Toprakkale (AKA Hamdoun Kalesi), a mirror image of the more easily accessible Yılankale. It is said to have been modelled on the great Krak des Chevaliers of Syria.
To access the castle you have to leave the motorway and look for a side turning from the nearest village. It’s not necessarily wise to venture inside the ruins though since there are concealed cisterns and other hazards.
This castle should not be confused with the one of the same name on the outskirts of Van.
Backstory
It is not clear when the castle was first built but like most of the fortresses in this corner of Turkey it swapped hands frequently, passing through the keepership of the Armenians (1151), the Byzantines (1158), the Crusaders (1185), the Knights Hospitaller, the Mamluks (1266), the Armenians and the Mamluks again (1337). After the Mamluks acquired it for the second time it appears to have been allowed to fall into ruin although the Ottomans took it over at the end of the 15th century.
Transport info
Without a car getting to the castle is not especially easy. You might find a bus from Osmaniye to Toprakkale town but that would still require a long walk or a taxi ride to the castle.
