Historic · Payas, Hatay
Payas Castle
An eight-towered castle near the shore, used from Crusader times through the Ottoman era.
- History
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Payas Castle stands about 700 metres inland from the shore, west of the Sokullu Mehmet Paşa Complex. Built by the Genoese during the Crusades and held for a time by the Knights Templar, it was rebuilt from its foundations under the Ottomans and became a strategic base after the conquest of Cyprus. The eight-towered structure has a central courtyard with storerooms and quarters on its lower floors. Visiting conditions may have changed since the 2023 earthquakes; check before you go.