The Legend of the Maiden's Castle in Konya

Maiden's Castle/Tower Island is unique in Lake Beyşehir, which is the subject of various legends and stories, with extremely natural beauties. Located on the western shores of the lake, 3.5 km northeast of Kubadabad Palace, the summer palace of the Seljuks, the island's area is 5 decares and its highest peak is 1138 m.

The Maiden's Castle Island, located in Lake Beyşehir and the subject of various legends and stories, continues to draw attention with its unique appearance.

The residents of Beyşehir shared the most well-known legends about the Maiden's Castle.

The Maiden's Castle and Island, located in Lake Beyşehir, which is Turkey's largest freshwater lake, were used as the harem and shipyard of Kubadabad, the summer capital of the Anatolian Seljuks.

According to the source, a local resident from Beyşehir who shared the legend mentioned that this place holds great significance for the region and passed from Eşrefoğlu Süleyman Bey to Mehmet Bey:

“In Beyşehir, which was the center of the Eşrefoğulları dynasty, Mehmet Bey succeeded Eşrefoğlu Süleyman Bey as the ruler. Mehmet Bey had a renowned beauty named Meyis as his beloved. To protect her from evil eyes, he built a beautiful mansion in the middle of Lake Beyşehir, surrounded it with thick walls, and entrusted the protection of the mansion to beautiful girls armed with spears. No one else was allowed to enter the island except for Mehmet Bey.

One spring evening during a storm, the guard girls on the island heard a faint moaning from the shore where the island battled with the waves. Curiously, they went down to investigate and found a wounded, dark-haired young man lying unconscious. They took him to the mansion. The young man turned out to be a fisherman whose boat had been wrecked, causing him to wash ashore. He sent word to Mehmet Bey's beloved, Meyis, who rushed to his aid, tended to his wounds, and fell in love with him. The young fisherman lived happily with the girls in the mansion, away from the prying eyes of others.

After six or seven months, Meyis learned that the guardian girls were involved with the young fisherman, and she even discovered that some of them had given birth to babies, as she could hear their cries. Meyis regretted bringing the young man to the island and, in a fit of rage, set fire to the mansion and the gunpowder depot, causing a massive explosion that destroyed everything. She burnt herself, the guardian girls, and the forbidden young man to ashes. Since that day, the people of Beyşehir have called that island Maiden's Castle.”