Durak railway station

Railway station in Turkey
Preceding station TCDD Taşımacılık Following station
Kelebek
towards Kayseri
 Erciyes Express Yenice
towards Adana
Kelebek
towards Konya
 Taurus Express

Durak railway station (Turkish: Durak istasyonu meaning "Stop station") is a railway station in the Mersin Province of Turkey. Since the station is not near any settlement, it is used mainly as a siding. Durak station was originally opened on 27 April 1912 by the Baghdad Railway. Sitting at the base of the Taurus Mountains, the station was used as a staging point to construct the railway further through the mountains, similar to Ulukışla station.[1] The station house was built in the Turkish Neoclassical style, similar to the Yenice station house.

The choice of a railway station at Durak (also called Dorak) was not accidental, since the site is near the junction of two very strategic ancient roads that once connected the Mediterranean Sea to the Cilician Gates. In the 12th or 13th century during the period of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia an impressive three-storey fortified estate house, today known as Kız, was constructed just northwest of Durak to guard these roads.[2] Like the nearby Tece Castle the masonry and architectural features of Kız indicate that it was built by Armenian masons, perhaps for the Crusaders.[3]

TCDD Taşımacılık operates two daily intercity trains from Konya[4] and Kayseri[5] to Adana.

References

  1. ^ "CIOB - Chemin de Fer Impérial Ottoman de Baghdad". trainsofturkey.com. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ^ Carefully documented photographs and plan of Kız Kalesi near Durak station [1]
  3. ^ Edwards, Robert W. (1987). The Fortifications of Armenian Cilicia: Dumbarton Oaks Studies XXIII. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, Trustees for Harvard University. pp. 157–161. ISBN 0-88402-163-7.
  4. ^ "Toros Ekspresi". tcddseferleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Erciyes Ekspresi". tcddseferleri.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 April 2018.