Antiquities

The small town Tekkadin

Tekkadın is located in the district of Silifke in the Turkish province of Mersin, about twelve kilometers north of Silifke.

The small town consisted of about a hundred houses and covered an area of ​​about 200 × 400 meters on a rock spur protruding into the valley.

Access to the east is via a paved path past sarcophagi, one of which is adorned with an impressive lion sculpture. The remains of a church can be seen a little further west on a hilltop.

At the western end of the spur, the polygonal remains of an ancient fortification are surrounded by mighty ashlar masonry.

Tekkadın is seen as a possible location for the Byzantine city of Prakana.

The Seljuks conquered the place in the 12th century, later it fell to the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia under Leo II, and returned several times to the Seljuks and Armenians.

by Merike Joosep

Vigen Avetisyan

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