Cilicia: a fortress on the Mediterranean coast

The Kingdom of Cilicia lay on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia covered 45,000 square kilometres, and its Mediterranean coastline was 560 kilometres long. Its largest cities were Adana, Zepyur (Mersin), Sis (Kozan), Zeitun (Süleymanlı), Hajin (Saimbeyli), Marash (Kahramanmaraş), Aintab (Gaziantep), Tarsus, Ayas (Yumurtalık) and Alexandretta (İskenderun).

Before the Ottoman occupation, Cilicia had 187 Armenian villages, 537 active Armenian Apostolic churches and 176 Armenian general schools. More than 150,000 civilians of Cilicia were killed, and the rest became refugees.

The photograph shows a seaside fortress with high walls and round and square towers.