2. Day Mersin (Adamkayalar)

Our last stop was the Men of Rock. For this we had to drive about 10 kilometres up a mountain and then another 2-3 kilometres through roads that were difficult to access. It was very exciting and definitely worth it, the view alone was breathtaking. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the reliefs from close up.

The Adamkayalar (Turkish for human rock) are Roman tomb reliefs in Cilicia. They are located near the ancient Korykos near the present-day village of Kızkalesi.

About eight kilometres north of Kızkalesi, in the steep, almost vertical walls of the Şeytan Deresi (Devil's Valley), several Roman family tombs carved into the rock with thirteen associated reliefs lie in a place that is difficult to access. They are dated to the 2nd to 1st century BC.

At the upper edge of the gorge, the ruins of several buildings, sarcophagi and a cistern can be seen. The populated hilltop of about 100 metres in diameter is surrounded by a polygonal defence wall up to the edge of the gorge. Crosses can be seen on some of the buildings. Based on the masonry technique, the settlement can be dated from Hellenistic to early Byzantine times.Read more