Payas Antakya

Payas, located at 90 km from Antakya, is a charming seaside town known as Baias in ancient times. In 1516, it became an Ottoman possession after the Battle of Mercidabik. The great architect Sinan built a large complex of structures measuring about 15,000 square miles here in 1574 for Grand Vizier Sokullu Mehmet Pasa, after which Payas became an important landing-place and way-station for travelers. Other buildings were erected here in the 16th century during the reign of Selim II, making Payas a key border-region outpost and stopping place-attributes that it was to retain for many years afterwards. To the west of Sinan's building is Payas Citadel, where foreign ships take on water. The citadel, which is surrounded by a ditch, has eight towers and seven bastions. Another old tower of military importance is Cin Kulesi (Jinn's Tower), located on a prominence between the Sinan complex and the seashore. It is tought to have been built by the Crusaders or perhaps Genoese.