Population: 2,750
Old name: Tırtar
Kumkuyu (“Sand Well”) is a small resort between Ayaş and Limonlu and virtually indistinguishable from them these days. There would be no particular reason to stop here were it not for the astonishing remains of a complex called Akkale beside the sea above the new marina. It is possible that it was used for port administration in Roman times.
The ruins are frankly confusing. The only thing that is readily identifiable is the huge double cistern with its stone roof from which you can look down on the marina. Its capacity has been estimated at 17,000 cubic metres and it is thought that some of this water would have been sold to passing ships. It’s a very impressive structure, reminiscent of the ones in Dara, near Mardin, and in northern Syria.
Beside the cistern is a huge building that some have thought a church but others have suggested, more plausibly, was a summer palace built for Archelaus, the king of Cappadocia, in the first century. The huge corbels running along one side suggest that it once had a lengthy balcony. A spiral staircase also survives in one corner.
Another building in front of the palace could have been associated with it (perhaps a place where records were kept?) but back along the track to the main road there is a cruciform building with an intact stone dome and crosses on each of its four faces. I would have guessed that it was a baptistry although the sign at the site suggests that it was a monumental tomb. 
Slight traces of the Ak Kale (White Castle) itself survive on a small mound beside it.
Transport info
It’s easy to walk from the main road to the site, the problem being knowing where to turn off the highway in the absence of a sign (June 2015). The sign to the harbour may or may not still be there when you visit but locals will be able to point out the turn-off. All the buses running from Silifke to Mersin via Kızkalesi pass the turn-off.
