The Walls of Softa Castle are amazingly intact - it takes less than
thirty minutes to climb the Castle
Coffee at 6. 30 am – departure at 8. We wanted to climb the Softa Castle early in the morning before temperatures get into the 30ies. The yellow taxis were on time. Off we went.
The Turkish Flag flies proudly over the once "Byzantine" Fort
Turks grow Bananas in the many white Greenhouses
The Softa Castle was part of a hastily erected Byzantine defense line in their 200-year with the Arabs. The war started badly for Constantinople. In 636 AD, Emperor Heraclius sent a large force, estimated 40’000 men, to the Levant to check the Arab advances. 2 years before, these former Roman mercenaries had occupied Damascus to collect money the Emperor owed them. The two armies clashed in Yarmouk. The Byzantines were completely annihilated. The Arab army was only half the size but far better lead and more agile.
The War between Khalifs and Byzantium lasted 200 Years and was fought on Land and Sea
The consequences of this victory were far reaching. There were no troops left between Constantinople and Arabia. Byzantium’s eastern border was undefended. After decades of war with Persia, the Empire’s resources were depleted. Arab cavalry quickly occupied Syria, the Levant and Egypt. Even though counting only a few thousand horsemen, there was no force to stop them. Town after town fell. Eventually their offensive petered out at the Taurus Mountains and in the Libyan desert. A few local castles stopped them. The light Arab forces did not have the means to besiege a castle.
The Softa Castle had large Storage Facilities to block any andvancing Arab Army
With no money and no army left, the Byzantine Emperors adjusted their defense strategy and built a string of castles along the new border and the Mediterranean shores. These were effective, locally manned defense structures strong enough to block any further Arab advance. The Empire survived thanks to the commitment and effort of these local Greeks. Saint Hilarion in Cyprus, Softa Castle in Bozyazi und Mamur Castle in Anemur were part of this effort. Later in their history, in the 12th century, Softa and Mamur Castle were taken over by the Seljuk Turks or Crusaders. Saint Hilarion Castle was used and expanded by the Lusignans, the Frankish Kings of Cyprus.
The Lusignians converted the Lock-out of Saint Hilarion into a proper Castle they used
Of the three castles, Mamure is maintained best – it was recently refurbished and shines in new glory. With a surface of 20'000 square meters and 39 towers in total, it looks impressive. The fact that it was for centuries an important sea fort for the Seljuk and the Ottomans must have helped. The other two are in ruins but many of their structural arches still stand and most of the defensive walls remain intact. Speaks for the professionality of the builders – there is a major earthquake here every 100 years.
The Memure Castle which started as a Byzantine Fort (the part at the back)
Today, Softa Castle looks down on miles and miles of green houses where the villagers grow bananas. Bananas from Anemur are in high demand in Türkiye. A fun fact is that the banana plant could have arrived with the attacking Arabs.
The Coastal Plain below Softa Castle is covered by Banana Green Houses as far as you look
By the 7th century, bananas were well known in Arab society. Then they were brought to Sicily and Spain as part of the agricultural revolution, later to Africa and Latin America. Bananas were domesticated around 3'000 years ago in New Guinea from where they spread to the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Bananas need a constant minimum temperature of 27 Celsius and a lot of water. Both available in southern Anatolia. However, Türkiye did not produce bananas until the 20th century. It is the result of the country’s growing consumer spending. Turks now can afford exotic fruits and want them. Like the rest of the world. The plastic covered green-houses cover mostly flat land but occasionally creep up steep slopes. Not always the most pretty sight, they can be easily dismantled if necessary.
Banana Plantations need a lot of Work, Heat and Water
Wonder what the Arabs would have said had they found “their” plants on this coast when they arrived 1’400 years ago. But they did not and we will never know.
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