The tomb of Şeyh Ali Semerkandi, known as the Zeyne Türbesi, stands in a large garden in Gülnar. It is a work of the Beylik period and the only survivor of what was probably a larger complex, although no written record says it was part of one. From time to time burial rooms were added to its main passage, which has a timber roof on wooden posts, and there are graves in the garden as well.
A legend is told about Semerkandi, who had also worked as a shepherd. One hot noon, when his animals had no water, a passing Türkmen spoke harshly to him; hurt by this, he prayed and struck his staff into the rocks, water gushed out and his flock was saved. The spot is used as a picnic place.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Mersin as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 10.4 °C in January to 28.5 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May, October and November; rainfall is heaviest in December (137 mm) and lightest in August (7 mm). Long-term means for 1929-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
