3 Best Sights in Anamur, The Turquoise Coast

On the eastern edge of town, the highway goes right past Mamure Kalesi—a spectacular castle with 39 towers, first constructed in Roman times to protect the city from seaborne raiders. It was expanded by the Seljuks, who captured it in the 13th century, and later rebuilt by the Karamanoğulları, who controlled this part of Anatolia after the Seljuk Empire collapsed. Note the inscription to the Karamanoğulları prince, İbrahim Bey II, dating from 1450. The place is so impressively preserved you'd think it was a modern reconstruction. As of late 2021, the castle was closed for restorations.

A small museum in the waterfront district of İskele displays finds from Anemurium and other nearby sites. The most interesting are the tomb mosaics and a bronze head of Athena. As of late 2021, the museum was closed for renovations.

The extensive ruins of ancient Anemurium—mostly dating from the late Roman/early Byzantine period—are built primarily of durable Roman concrete, which makes them better preserved but less picturesque than the average stone ruins. Their idyllic seaside setting, with overgrown paths leading between the structures and the waves crashing nearby, more than makes up for that, however. The marked turnoff to the site is 5 km (3 miles) west of Anamur.

Anemurium, whose ancient name refers to the winds that often blow through the site, has long inspired the curiosity of foreign visitors: English archaeologist Francis Beaufort excavated here in the 19th century. Beside the entrance is a bath building, once part of a gymnasium. Beyond this is a small well-preserved theater, or odeon, opposite which sit the scant remains of a large theater. A second Roman bath is easily the best preserved in the country, with even the great vaulted roof of the two-story building still standing. Behind it are the remains of an aqueduct, while one set of old city walls climbs up a steep slope to the unexcavated acropolis. Beside the road there are also numerous tombs, some with frescoes and mosaics. At the end of the road there's a pebbly beach, where you can take a dip when you've finished exploring, but no showers or other facilities.