Ceyhan
General Information
District: Adana, State: Mediterranean Region, Turkey
Area: 1424 km²
Languages Spoken: Turkish
Long Distance Code: (+90) 0322
Best Time to Visit: May to August
International Access: Adana Sakirpasa Airport (ADA)Description
Ceyhan is the transportation hub for Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Russian oil and natural gas. It is situated on the Ceyhan River, from which it takes its name, in central Cukurova, 43 km (27 mi) east of Adana. The Ceyhan River is dammed at Aslantas to provide flood control and irrigation for the lower river basin around Ceyhan. The oil terminals Ceyhan's marine transport terminal is the Mediterranean terminus of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline (the "BTC") which brings crude oil from the landlocked Caspian Sea across Azerbaijan and Georgia, and entering Turkey in the northeast. The pipeline was completed in May 2005. The terminal contains seven storage tanks, a jetty capable of loading two tankers of up to 300,000 metric tons deadweight (DWT) simultaneously, metering facilities, a waste water treatment plant and vapor incineration ("burn-off") facilities. Ceyhan Terminal is also the destination of Kirkuk-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline and planned Samsun-Ceyhan by-pass pipeline. In future Ceyhan will be also a natural gas hub for a planned pipeline constructed parallel to the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline, and for a planned extension of the Blue Stream Gas Pipeline to from Samsun to Ceyhan. Set to become a crossroad in the near future, Ceyhan's significance in political terms is also expected to rise considerably, as stressed during an early 2006 symposium organized by the municipality. Modern city of Ceyhan Ceyhan is the second most developed and populated city of Adana Province after Adana. Like everywhere else on this coast it is roasting hot in summer. There are a number of restaurants serving the legendary Adana kebab. The river runs through the city center.Location
Ceyhan is a city in southeast Turkey and with 105,000 (2010) inhabitants (150,000 in the metropolitan area) it is the second largest city of Adana Province after the capital Adana.Climate
Typical Mediterranean climate
Kurtkulagi Caravanserai is the north of the village of Kurtkulagi, which is far away 30 km to Ceyhan provincy of Adana.
Kurtkulagi village, which is located on the old Halep road, had been key position both economical and social matters due to the main severity of roads from antique era.
The construction date of Kurtkulagi Caravanserai is not known in certain. There is a space for inscription top of the entrance gate. However, caravanserai doesn’t have any inscription. Because of that, the construction date of caravanserai is appraised as H. 1116 (1704). it is based on the date of edict, which was given by Ahmet iii at H.1116 (1704) and also it is supported by Karamort Külliyesi Vakfiyesi.
Another main work of Kurtkulagi village is the mosque of Kurtkulagi, which is the excellent sample of Ottoman architecture. it is located 100 meters along to south of Kurtkulagi Caravanserai. From the inscription, it can be realized constraction date wich is the H.1010 (1601) and also was had build by Haydar Aga.
Kurtkulagi village, which is located on the old Halep road, had been key position both economical and social matters due to the main severity of roads from antique era.
The construction date of Kurtkulagi Caravanserai is not known in certain. There is a space for inscription top of the entrance gate. However, caravanserai doesn’t have any inscription. Because of that, the construction date of caravanserai is appraised as H. 1116 (1704). it is based on the date of edict, which was given by Ahmet iii at H.1116 (1704) and also it is supported by Karamort Külliyesi Vakfiyesi.
Another main work of Kurtkulagi village is the mosque of Kurtkulagi, which is the excellent sample of Ottoman architecture. it is located 100 meters along to south of Kurtkulagi Caravanserai. From the inscription, it can be realized constraction date wich is the H.1010 (1601) and also was had build by Haydar Aga.
Yilankale, Yilan, ilan-kale, or Castle of the Snakes is a large medieval crusader castle located east of Adana in modern Turkey, built on a rocky hill overlooking the east bank of the Ceyhan river. its medieval name is unknown - the "Castle of the Snakes" name is due to a Turkish legend in which it belongs to the king of the snakes (Youngs 1965).
The castle and its impressive towers are visible from the highway E5 from Adana to iskenderun. Yilankale is one of many castles in the Cukurova region. it was built in the 11th or the 12th century, and was used by the Crusaders .
Architecture
Yilan has a lower, middle and upper ward enclosed by curtain walls. The upper ward has seven horseshoe-shaped towers, up to 15 meters in height, projecting from the curtain wall. The gate to the upper ward is flanked by two towers with a gatehouse containing the bent entrance between them. (Youngs 1965). The upper gate can only be reached via a narrow ramp. The castle also contains a chapel and cisterns.
The horseshoe-shaped towers projecting from the curtain wall are characteristic of Armenian castle architecture (Molin 2001), as is the absence of a central donjon. Like many Armenian castles, Yilan makes good use of the local topography for its defence. its walls closely follow the top of the rock on which the castle is located.
About 11km/7mi east of Misis, on the steep southern bank of the Ceyhan, a figure of the Hittite king Muwatalli (1315-1282 B.C.) can be seen carved into a smooth rock face rising above the river. On the top of a steep-sided crag on the north bank stands Yilanlikale ("Snake''s Castle"), an Armenian stronghold and Crusader castle of the 12th century. According to legend it was the residence of Sheikh Meran, half man, half snake, who was killed in the baths at Tarsus while seeking to carry off the king''s daughter.
The castle and its impressive towers are visible from the highway E5 from Adana to iskenderun. Yilankale is one of many castles in the Cukurova region. it was built in the 11th or the 12th century, and was used by the Crusaders .
Architecture
Yilan has a lower, middle and upper ward enclosed by curtain walls. The upper ward has seven horseshoe-shaped towers, up to 15 meters in height, projecting from the curtain wall. The gate to the upper ward is flanked by two towers with a gatehouse containing the bent entrance between them. (Youngs 1965). The upper gate can only be reached via a narrow ramp. The castle also contains a chapel and cisterns.
The horseshoe-shaped towers projecting from the curtain wall are characteristic of Armenian castle architecture (Molin 2001), as is the absence of a central donjon. Like many Armenian castles, Yilan makes good use of the local topography for its defence. its walls closely follow the top of the rock on which the castle is located.
About 11km/7mi east of Misis, on the steep southern bank of the Ceyhan, a figure of the Hittite king Muwatalli (1315-1282 B.C.) can be seen carved into a smooth rock face rising above the river. On the top of a steep-sided crag on the north bank stands Yilanlikale ("Snake''s Castle"), an Armenian stronghold and Crusader castle of the 12th century. According to legend it was the residence of Sheikh Meran, half man, half snake, who was killed in the baths at Tarsus while seeking to carry off the king''s daughter.