Mamure Castle

Overview

Mamure Castle rises on the Mediterranean shore just east of Anamur, on the Mersin coast. It is one of the Turkish castles that have come down to us in good condition, with 39 towers along its walls. Its stones carry traces of Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Karamanid and Ottoman times. Since 2012, it has been on Türkiye's Tentative List for World Heritage.

Where Mamure Castle stands

The castle lies about 6 km (4 miles) east of Anamur, beside the Antalya to Mersin road, in the village of Bozdoğan. It sits on high rocks and on flat ground by the sea. Like many castles in Anatolia, it was built on ancient foundations. It counts among the largest castles in Türkiye.

Quick facts

• Good for: walls and towers by the sea, a castle mosque, Karamanid history
• Best combined with: Anemurium, Alanya

History of Mamure Castle

Karamanid lords and an inscription

In the early 14th century, Mahmut Bey of the Karamanids took the castle and named it Mamuriye. Later, a ruler of the same family left his name over the main gate. That six-line inscription names Sultan İbrahim of the Karamanids and dates from about 1450. It is the only inscription still in place in the castle. Records show repairs and new additions in the mid-16th and late 18th centuries. In the 1960s, the General Directorate of Foundations repaired it again. Between 2015 and 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism restored two of its sections.

Before the castle

Long before the Karamanids, a minor Roman settlement stood here in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. In 1988, a rescue dig inside the walls uncovered rooms with mosaic floors, probably a bath and houses. These remains are thought to belong to the ancient town of Rigmonai. North of the castle, a bath ruin survives as well.

Inside Mamure Castle

Three parts and 39 towers

High walls divide the castle into three parts. The inner courtyard lies to the east, while the outer castle spreads to the west. To the south, on the rocks by the sea, stands the inner keep. Along the top of the walls, a path runs around the whole castle and links its 39 towers. The walls are wide at the base and narrow as they rise, and linked galleries run inside them. From there, stairs climb to the upper towers and the parapets. Its builders used many kinds of stone, set in Horasan mortar. Cut stone frames the gates, the window arches and the corners, while brick marks the later repairs. On the shore, a thick watchtower guards the south, and next to it stands the ruined Lighthouse Tower. A defensive moat runs along the walls on the north. Water came in by a channel that crossed the moat on two pointed arches, while cisterns held a reserve for a siege.

The mosque in the outer castle

In the yard of the outer castle stands a small mosque with a single dome and its own fountain. The Karamanids built it first, and it later took on the forms of 16th-century Ottoman architecture. Inside, the mihrab (the niche that shows the direction of prayer) sits in a stone niche with stalactite carving. Around the yard, you also see stores, cisterns and rooms that probably housed the soldiers.

The gate and the moat

Today, you do not enter the castle through its original gate. The real main gate stands north of the inner courtyard, between two towers, with its inscription above. A bridge once crossed the moat to this gate, but it has gone.

Visiting Mamure Castle

Tickets and getting there

Entry is by ticket, and the castle has a car park, restrooms and a shop. You can reach it by local transport from Anamur or with your own driver. We arrange your entry to Mamure Castle and drive on to Anemurium.

Before you go

On our day from Alanya, Mamure Castle comes after lunch by the sea. In the morning, you walk through the Roman city of Anemurium, on the other side of Anamur. The towers line up along the sea, so keep your camera ready. Inside the walls, which towers are open can change, so we confirm it on the day. The stonework of Mamure recalls the castle of Alanya, so it makes a good pair with Alanya Castle if you stay on that coast.

Updated: October 26, 2026.

Seeing Mamure Castle with Us

Would you like to see 39 towers lined up along the sea? Our Anamur tour takes you to Anemurium in the morning. After lunch, you reach the walls of Mamure Castle. Thirty-nine towers on the sea end the day; tell us which day suits your route.