Lighthouses of Southern Türkiye (Turkey)

Prior to World War I (1914-18) the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire had for centuries controlled most of the Middle East and (for varying amounts of time) North Africa and Southeast Europe. Following the war the Empire was partitioned by the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres and after a period of turmoil and warfare the Republic of Türkiye (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti in Turkish) was established in 1923. The country was historically called Turkey but in 2022 the Turkish government informed the United Nations that it prefers the official spelling Türkiye to be used in English. The Directory uses the spelling Türkiye in its descriptions but retains Turkish as the adjective form and preserves the more familiar spelling Turkey on the index page.

Most of Türkiye (97%) is in Asia, including the broad peninsula of Anatolia (Asia Minor) with the Black Sea on the north, the Aegean Sea on the west and the Mediterranean Sea; on the south. The remaining 3% is the region of East Thrace at the southeastern corner of Europe.

For administrative purposes Türkiye is divided into 81 provinces (il or vilayet). This page includes Anatolian Türkiye's lighthouses on the eastern Mediterranean coast, including the provinces of Hatay, Adana, and Mersin, These provinces include most of the area of the historic Roman province of Cilicia.

Since the 1920s the Turkish language has been written in a Latin script; a distinctive feature of the alphabet is that the dotted (İ and i) and dotless (I and ı) forms of the letter I are different letters. The Turkish phrase for a lighthouse is fener (plural fenerler) or deniz feneri ("sea lantern"). Ada or adası is an island, yarımada is a peninsula, kaya is a rock or reef, burnu is a cape, burun ("nose") is a headland, körfez is a gulf, koy is a bay or inlet, boğaz is a strait, nehir is a river, and liman is a harbor. In Turkish the Mediterranean Sea is called Akdeniz.

Lighthouses in Türkiye are operated by the Directorate General of Coastal Safety (Kıyı Emniyeti Genel Müdürlüğü, KEGM).

The severe earthquake of 6 February 2023 caused catastrophic damage in Adana and Hatay provinces. Information is lacking on how lighthouses fared in this disaster, so some descriptions may be outdated.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume N of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
Seyir Yardımcıları (Navigational Aids)
Information on major lighthouses posted by the Directorate General.
Online List of Lights - Turkey - Gulf of İskenderun and Mediterranean Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Many of the photos from this area are by Eckhard Meyer an Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter")
Leuchtfeuer an der türkischen Mittelmeerküste
Photos of 17 Mediterranean coast lighthouses posted by Bernd Claußen.
Lighthouses in Turkey
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Turkey
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme in Türkei
Photos by Andreas Köhler.
Europäische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse (Asiatic Türkiye is included on this page of European lighthouses).
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for Türkiye.
Google Maps
Satellite view of southern Türkiye.

İskenderun Light, İskenderun, March 2018
Google Maps photo by Oğuzhan Sıvacılar

Hatay Province Lighthouses

 
İskenderun (historically called Alexandretta) is the seaport of the province of Hatay. The city has a population nof about 250,000. Located on the south side of the Gulf of İskenderun, Hatay faces west, rather than south, on the Mediterranean. After World War I Hatay, then known as the Sanjak of Alexandretta, became an autonomous province of the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. The province broke off from Syria in 1938 after the arrival of Turkish forces in the territory, and it was annexed by Türkiye the following year. It is still claimed by Syria.

Antakya Lighthouses
* Çevlik (Antakya) Outer Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 3 s. Approx. 7 m (23 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with one narrow grenn horizontal band. Fatih Tokmak has a 2018 photo, Fehmi Yavuz has a 2018 street view, and Google has a distant satellite view. Çevlik is the harbor of Antakya (Antioch), the capital of Hatay Province. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5918; NGA 20833.
* Çevlik (Antakya) Inner Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 3 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower, painted white with one narrow red horizontal band. A 2-story Turkish Coast Guard station stands next to the lighthouse. Esad Emir has a photo, Thomas Frenzel has a photo, Trabas has Meyer's 2017 view, and Google has a distant satellite view. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5918.02; NGA 20834.

Kale Lighthouse
Akıncı Burnu (Resülhinzir)
1933 (French). Active; focal plane 109 m (357 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) stone tower with lantern and gallery, adjacent to a 1-1/2-story masonry keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; house painted white with a red tile roof. Selimm Töremiş has the 2024 photo at right, Mahmut Güven has a 2022 photo, Cüneyt Bulut has a 2018 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Akıncı Burnu is the cape at the southern entrance to the Gulf of İskenderun. Located on the heights above the point of the cape, about 40 km (25 mi) southwest of İskenderun. Site apparently open; tower closed. ARLHS TUR-011; Admiralty N5917; NGA 20832.

Akıncı Burnu Light, Hatay, May 2024
Google Maps photo by Selimm Töremiş

İskenderun Lighthouses
* İskenderun (İskenderun Roadstead)
Date unknown (station established 1886). Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, painted white with one red horizontal band. Trabas has Meyer's 2012 photo, Mustafa Onur İnce has a 2019 photo, Refai Yıldırım has a distant 2024 view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Büyükdere, about 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of İskenderun. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS TUR-032; Admiralty N5916; NGA 20816.
* İskenderun Limanı (İskenderun Harbor) (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1864). Active but unofficial; focal plane about 40 m (131 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 36 m (118 ft) round concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and four ribs. Lighthouse painted white with a red vertical stripe on the seaward side, lantern and gallery black. Oğuzhan Sıvacılar's 2018 photo is at the top of this page, the red stripe is also seen in a 2019 photo and in Abdulhameed Alkumity's 2017 photo, Wikimedia has a 2007 photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view. Although this lighthouse is not on the international light lists and not in KEGM's database, İbrahim Süslü has a 2017 photo of the light in action. Abdullah Arslan has a photo dated September 2023; if that's when it was taken it shows that the lighthouse survived the earthquake. The original light was a mast on a keeper's house, and that light was still listed in 1904. We need information on the history of the present lighthouse. Located on Fener Caddesi (Lighthouse Avenue) on the waterfront of İskenderun. Site open, tower closed. . Not listed by the Admiralty.
İskenderun Fishing Harbor North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 8 m (26 ft); green flash every 3 s. 5 m (17 ft) round white concrete tower. Mehmet Bilgin has a 2019 street view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of the traditional harbor of İskenderun. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5915.4; NGA 20825.

İskenderun Roadstead Light, Büyükdere
Directorate General of Coastal Safety photo
İskenderun Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green light, 2 s on, 1 s off. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, now painted green with a narrow white horizontal band. Karl Agre has a 2009 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater of İskenderun. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5915; NGA 20820.
İsdemir South Mole
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical tower painted green with a narrow white horizontal band. Alexander Pavelyev has a very distant view of the two mole lights (this one on the left) and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north mole at the İsdemir power station north of İskenderun. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5914; NGA 20813.
İsdemir North Mole
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower painted red with a narrow white horizontal band. Alexander Pavelyev has a very distant view of the two mole lights (this one on the right) and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north mole at the İsdemir power station north of İskenderun. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5914.4; NGA 20813.5.

Adana Province Lighthouses

Yumurtalık Lighthouses
* Yumurtalık Main (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower painted white with two narrow black horizontal bands. Faruk Akbey's 2021 photo is at right, Ebru Guven has a 2018 photo, Ahmet Alanç also has a 2018 photo, KEGM has a 2017 photo, and Google has a 2022 street view and a satellite view. The lighthouse was refurbished and repainted in 2017; previously it was all white. NGA lists a 10 m (33 ft) skeletal tower. Located on a bluff on the north side of Yumurtalık, a small seaport and seaside resort on the north side of the Gulf of İskenderun. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5875; NGA 20768.

Yumurtalık Main Light, Yumurtalık, July 2021
Google Maps photo by Faruk Akbey
* Yumurtalık Breakwater (Shelter Mole) (3)
2012 (?). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) round hourglass-shaped fiberglass tower colored white with a narrow red band. A 2026 photo and a 2019 closeup photo are available, Tariq Isaksson has a 2022 street view, and Google has a satellite view. KEGM's page formerly showed a smaller tower and NGA lists a 6 m (20 ft) framework tower. Located at the end of the mole at Yumurtalık. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5875.2; NGA 20772.

Karataş Lighthouses
* Karataş Small Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow green horizontal band. Bedirhan Küpeli has a 2022 photo showing both breakwater lights, Duygu Özcan has a very distant view of the two breakwater lights and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of Karataş harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5874.5; NGA 20764.
Karataş Main Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 5 s. 5 m (17 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow red horizontal band. Fatih Arsin has a 2018 photo, Bedirhan Küpeli has a 2022 photo and a photo showing both breakwater lights, Duygu Özcan has a very distant view of the two breakwater lights, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater of Karataş harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5874.4; NGA 20760.
* Karataş (Karadash, Fener Burnu)
1864. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward side of a 1-story masonry keeper's house. The lantern has been added recently. Lighthouse normally painted white; house painted white with a red tile roof. The KEGM photo at right shows the lighthouse gaily painted and before the present lantern was installed, Trabas has Meyer's 2017 photo and Google has a satellite view. It appears that the tower on this lighthouse was replaced, but the house may be original. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the Bay of İskenderun, at the extreme northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. Located on Karataş Burnu, also called Fener Burnu (Lighthouse Point), about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of the city of Karataş. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5874; NGA 20756.

Karataş Light, Karataş
Directorate General of Coastal Safety photo

Mersin Province Lighthouses

Mersin is a large city with a population of more than one million; it is also Türkiye's largest seaport. Founded by the Greeks, the city was known a Zephyrium in Roman times.

Tarsus Lighthouse
Deli Burnu (Deliburnu, Seyhan Nehri) (2)
2015 (station established 1977). Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round barbell-shaped tower colored white wth two narrow black horizontal bands. A distant aerial view is available and Google has a satellite view. This light replaced a 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower; Deli Burnu is the low cape formed by the delta of the Seyhan River, on the east side of the Gulf of Mersin. Located on the west bank of the river, about 25 km (15 mi) east of Mersin (Içel). Site status unknown. Admiralty N5873.8; NGA 20752.

Mersin Lighthouses
Mersin Limanı Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); green light occulting once every 3 s. 17 m (56 ft) triangular steel skeletal tower carrying a red triangular daymark, point up. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2005 photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides ships within the harbor. Located near several large fuel tanks at the east end of Mersin's harbor. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5873.2; NGA 20724.
Mersin Limanı Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); green light occulting once every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) triangular steel skeletal tower carrying a red triangular daymark, point up. Trabas has Capt. Peter's 2005 photo, Yasin Keçef has a 2021 photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located about 190 m (620 ft) northeast of the front light. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5873.3; NGA 20728.
Mersin North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); green flash every 3 s. 6 m (20 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, white with a narrow green horizontal band. Google has a satellite view. The light was removed temporarily in 2021 for construction to shorten the pier. Located on the north breakwater of Mersin. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5873; NGA 20720.
Mersin South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red flash every 3 s. 6 m (20 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, white with a narrow red horizontal band. Idris Akgül has a 2024 photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the south breakwater of Mersin. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5872.2; NGA 20712.
Mersin Directional
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); flash every 5 s, white or red depending on direction. 6 m (20 ft) round white hourglass-shaped tower. Ozan Çelik has a 2020 photo and Google has a satellite view. This leading light guides ships leaving the harbor. Located at the elbow of the south breakwater. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5872.4; NGA 20716.
* Mersin (Içel) (2)
1883 (station established 1865). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); three white flashes every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-1/2 story masonry keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with a red band around the base of the lantern; house painted white with a red tile roof. Murat Türkmen's 2026 photo is at right, Bekir Arslan has a 2020 photo, Emine Deger has a 2022 closeup, Trabas has Meyer's 2005 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Sometime between 2017 and 2020 the attached building was rebuilt in a historically accurate form as seen in the historic postcard view posted by Klaus Huelse; it is much smaller than the attached building seen in Nedim Ardoğa's 2011 photo, Hüseyin Subaşı's 2017 photo, and Meyer's closeup 2005 photo posted by Trabas. This is one of the most accessible lighthouses of Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, but recent photos are surprisingly scarce. Located in Mersin, on the west side of the mouth of the river and about 1.5 km (1 mi) west of the modern harbor entrance. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS TUR-043; Admiralty N5872; NGA 20708.

Mersin Light, Mersin, February 2026
Instagram photo by Murat Türkmen

Taşucu Lighthouses
A small port, Taşucu is the terminal for ferries to Girne (Kyrenia), the capital of Turkish Northern Cyprus.

#İncekum Burnu
Date unknown (station established 1864). Inactive since 2015 and subsequently removed. This was a 13 m (43 ft) round skeletal tower with gallery, mounted on a round platform supported by concrete piles. No photo available; Google has a satellite view of the location. İncekum Burnu is a broad, sandy point about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Taşucu. The original light was shown from a mast on a keeper's house at the tip of the point. The more recent light marked the end of the shoal offshore, about 1.5 km (1 mi) south of the point. It was replaced in 2015 by a lightfloat. ex-Admiralty N5871.5; ex-NGA 20696.
Taşucu North Breakwater (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two green flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, white with two narrow green horizontal bands. Google has a satellite view. NGA lists a skeletal tower. Gezen Dünyalı has a very distant street view of the two breakwater lights taken from the beach. Located on the north breakwater of Taşucu. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5871.32; NGA 20684.
Taşucu South Breakwater (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 8 m (26 ft) round hourglass-shaped tower, white with two narrow red horizontal bands. Google has a satellite view. NGA lists a skeletal tower. Located on the south breakwater of Taşucu. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5871.3; NGA 20680.

Yeşilovacık Lighthouses
Bölükada Burnu (Yarim Adası, Ovacık Yarimadası)
1993. Active; focal plane 43 m (141 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round barbell-shaped metal or fiberglass tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A Directorate General photo is at right and Google has a satellite view. Yarim Adası (Bölük Ada) is not actually an island, although it appears to be one from a distance; it is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. Located at the southern point of Yarim Adası, about 8 km (5 mi) south of Yeşilovacık. Site status unknown. Site manager: Dilek Peninsula - Büyük Menderes Delta National Park. Admiralty N5867; NGA 20670.
Ovacık East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow red horizontal band. Nikolay Frolov has a very distant street view from the west breakwater and Google has a satellite view. NGA has the colors of these breakwater lights reversed. Located at the end of the east (main) breakwater of Ovacık harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5866.51; NGA 20669.1.
Ovacık West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow green horizontal band. Zafer Nizamoğlu has a 2022 photo, Nikolay Frolov has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Ovacık harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5866.5; NGA 20669.

Bölükada Light, Yeşilovacık
Directorate General of Coastal Safety photo

Anamur Lighthouses
Bozyazı Secondary Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); green flash every 4 s. 4 m (13 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow green horizontal band. A 2019 photo is available, Trabas has Meyer's 2004 photo of the two breakwater lights, Mehmet Erdoğan also has a photo showing both lights (this one on the right), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Bozyazı harbor on the east side of Anamur. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5864.2.
Bozyazı Main Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); red flash every 4 s. 4 m (13 ft) round white concrete tower with a narrow red horizontal band. Trabas has Meyer's 2004 photo of the two breakwater lights, Mehmet Erdoğan also has a photo showing both lights (this one on the left), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Bozyazı harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5864.
Anamur (Anamur Burnu)
1912. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward side of a 2-story masonry keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with two narrow black horizontal bands. The black bands, added in 2015, are seen in Mustafa Onur İnce's 2020 photo at right and Igor Buzatu's 2016 photo. Trabas has Meyer's closeup 2017 photo, Mert Aydemir has a distant view from below, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was built by French engineers for the Ottoman Empire. Cape Anamur is the southernmost point of the Anatolian mainland, and the lighthouse here marks the west entrance to the Cyprus Strait separating Cyprus from Türkiye. The cape is a rocky headland projecting abruptly into the Mediterranean. Located at the point of the cape, about 8 km (5 mi) southwest of the city of Anamur. Site status unknown. . ARLHS TUR-062; Admiralty N5862; NGA 20664.

Anamur Burnu Light, Anamur, August 2020
Instagram photo by Mustafa Onur İnce

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: West: Antalya | East: Syria | South: Northern Cyprus

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Posted May 5, 2007. Checked and revised June 7, 2026. Lighthouses: 30. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.