Architectural Evaluation of Savranda Castle

Savranda Castle is located in the Amanos Mountains, which draws the eastern border of the Cilicia Region. The road connecting the region to Syria and Mesopotamia through the Bahce Passage is in range of sight. To protect these strategic points, Savranda Castle forms a defense system with the structures in its immediate vicinity. The unique characteristics of its location have enabled it to maintain its importance and function for centuries. Although the date of its construction is uncertain, it is known that the Castle came under Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader and Mameluke rules in the middle ages. The building, which creates an impressive silhouette with its architecture in the geography, has still its inner castle, entrance area, chapel and wall remains in addition to the basic defensive elements such as the curtain wall, bastion, battlement, loophole. Similar to other defense systems in the region, Savranda Castle has a convenient location for the basic defense principles and specific architectural elements, while it differs from others with its location specific solutions. Today, the building located in the borders of Osmaniye, Turkey has been registered as an archaeological site. Survived until the 21st century without any conservation measures, the remains from the structure under dense vegetation are extremely valuable with their preserved authenticity despite many structural losses. In this study, the structure is analyzed in detail, taking into account the previous studies and research about the castle. After briefly explaining its strategic location and the related historical events, the building, which is rich in structural elements, is discussed in the scope of the form and construction techniques. The study continues with a comparative analysis with the other defense structures in the Cilicia Region that are architecturally similar to Savranda Castle. These discussions and findings were supported by maps, current visuals and technical drawings in accordance with the measurements obtained in the field study.