| Diokaisareia | |
| Native Name: | Uzuncaburç |
| Map Type: | Turkey |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Coordinates: | 36.5833°N 89°W |
| Location: | Silifke, Mersin Province, Turkey |
| Region: | Cilicia Trachea |
| Type: | Sacred place |
| Cultures: | Hellenistic, Roman |
| Condition: | In ruins |
Uzuncaburç is an archaeological site in Mersin Province, Turkey, containing the remnants of the ancient city of Diokaisareia or Diocaesarea (Διοκαισάρεια).
Uzuncaburç is in the rural area of Silifke ilçe (district). (Silifke was known as Seleukeia during the Hellenistic age) distance from Silifke is and from Mersin is . The visitors from Silifke follow the road to north and then to east.[1] The visitors from Mersin follow the highway D.400 to the west up to the west of Susanoğlu where they turn north.[2]
During the Hellenistic period, the area of Diokaisareia was a part of the Seleucid Empire. The region around Uzuncaburç was controlled by the local kings and queens of Olba on behalf of the Seleucid Empire. Uzuncaburç was the sacred place of the Olba people, but their main settlement was in Ura, east of the site of Diokaisareia. However, after the area was captured by the Roman Empire, Emperor Vespasian transformed the sacred place to a city, with the right to issue its coins. During the Christian age, most of the temples in Diokaisareia were converted to churches.[3]
During the Middle Ages the city faded away. During the Ottoman Empire, the Turkmen people established their own settlement to the east of the ancient site and named their settlement after the Hellenistic tower Uzuncaburç, which means "tall bastion" in Turkish. Now both the town and the ancient site shares the same name.
Main structures of interest are the following[3]
Within the—now vanished—city walls;
Out of the city walls;
The site is under the control of Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The site is open to visits., admission charge was 6 Turkish lira. The visiting hours 8.00 to 18.45 (summer) and 8.00 to 16.45 (winter)[5]