Kizkalesi, which means "maiden castle" in Turkish, is a village located on the south-eastern coast of Turkey, one of the warmest areas of the country. Mass tourism has not yet reached this place, and the nature has preserved its pristine nature. However, the clear sea, long beaches with fine golden sand and the mild climate of the village, which allows you to swim in the sea until at least October, attracts more and more tourists every year.
The village is more than two thousand years old, but earlier there was an ancient town of Korikos. Already in the 2nd century BC it was one of the most developed in the region. But after the devastating invasion of the Persian king Shapur of the Sassanid dynasty, life here came to a grinding halt. Korikos was rebuilt several times and later became one of the centres of Christianity on the Mediterranean coast. By the 11th century the city had lost its former power and almost disappeared from the world map. It was at this time it attracted the attention of the Byzantine rulers. They revived the village and in the fourth century on the eastern edge of the modern city built the fortress "Korikos". And in 1104, on a small island 200 metres off the coast, the Byzantine admiral Estuzayes built the castle of Kizkalesi. It is believed that it used to be connected to the mainland by a road.
At that time, piracy flourished in the Mediterranean Sea and it threatened many coastal towns. Korykos also suffered from pirate ships. Then the famous orator and lawyer of those times, Chichero, became the head of the city. He was successful in the military and excelled at fighting pirates. He proposed to make the fortresses of Coricos and Kyzcalesi as part of a single defence system. When there was a danger of enemy ships invading the port, a chain was stretched between them, which prevented ships from entering the harbor.
In 1244, the wedding of the Byzantine Emperor John III and the daughter of Frederick II took place in this castle.Today only three floors remain of the structure, but they are quite well preserved and interesting to see.
There is a very beautiful legend associated with the ruins of this castle. Once upon a time, the king of Korikos had a daughter. She grew up to be a very beautiful and kind girl, loved by both her father and his subjects. Everything was fine until a fortune-teller until came to town. She told the king a fortune and then looked at the palm of the princess' hand and she trembled. The king was frightened by this reaction and asked what was wrong. The fortune-teller had to tell the reason for her trembling - she could see from the palm of her hand that the king's daughter would die of a snake bite when she was still young. The old king was very upset and decided to cheat fate. He ordered a fortress in the middle of the sea so that no snake could reach it. Day after day the king and his daughter enjoyed life together. But one day a basket of fruit was brought to the fortress as usual. The girl reached out her hand to the juicy fruit and was bitten by a snake - a fortune-teller's prediction came true.
Today, the castle on the island gives its name to the town on the shore. To get to the the island can be reached by boat. The boatmen can take you to the castle by water for a fee. It is also possible to rent a boat. The castle can also be reached by water bicycle.
