Yılankale, 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. Yılankale is one of many castles in the Adana area. It was built in the 11th or the 12th century, and was used by the Crusaders of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia.
Yesterday, our group of friends decided that we needed to get off base and go do SOMETHING...ANYTHING!! So, we ended up at Yilankale (also known as Snake Castle). This castle is not very far from base, so it was a nice little late morning/ early afternoon trip. We had a great time. All of us packed a lunch, so after we hiked up to the highest part of the castle we settled and had our picnic lunch. Us girls work out on a daily basis, and we were greatful for that! I would hate to see how we would have done if we were all out of shape!! I'm also glad to report that there were no injuries throughout this adventure! At least, none that got any of us wearing boots (ah-hem, me!) Maybe a few scratches here and there, but nothing major. We're already looking forward to our next adventure. And now here are some pictures of our castle exploring.
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| This herd of sheep pooped and peed all over the path to the castle haha |
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| These goats were obviously hungry |
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| Us girls, minus Amanda |
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| It is very hazy out here, so you couldnt see the mountains in the distance, some even snow covered! Until next time!! |
Thanks for no jumping pics this time!
ReplyDelete:) welcome!!
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