Kara Castle
Kara Castle () is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey. Actually its name was Corycus Castle. The ancient town Corycus had two castles; one on the island facing the town and one on the land. So its customary to call the land castle Kara Castle (meaning ‘’land Castle’’ in Turkish).The castle is at . Its distance to Erdemli is  and to Mersin is . History
Kara Castle was built in the ancient ages. But it was rebuilt by the Byzantine Emperor  Alexios I Komnenos in 1099 just after the First Crusade. Its architect was  Megas Drungarios Eustatias. After the town became a part of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, it was further enlarged. In 1191 Philip II of France visited the castle after the Third crusade. During the civil war in the Ottoman Empire between Bayazit I and Cem Sultan, the castle hosted Cem Sultan before Cem Sultan fled from the Ottoman Empire to Italy. The castle
Although there are additions during the Armenian Kingdom, spolia from the earlier cultures were used and the masonry is not typical of  Armenians. The castle is protected by  double bastions. The outer bastion was built later than the inner bastion. Within the castle there are three churches. There are also cisterns and a mausoleum in the castle. According to Unesco World Heritage page, during the wars and the pirate assault, a chain between the Kara Castle and the Kızkalesi Castle in the island was pulled up, preventing enemy ships from entering the port. References

Castles in Mersin Province
Erdemli District
Byzantine fortifications in Turkey