Rumkale is located within the borders of Nizip and Yavuzeli districts of Gaziantep province. It is built on steep cliffs at the confluence of the Merzimen Stream and the Euphrates River. Today, it has the appearance of a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by a dam lake. Known by various names from antiquity to the present day, including Şitamrat, Kal-a Rhomayta, Hromklay, Ranculat, Kal-at el Rum, Kal-at el Müslimin, and Kale-i Zerrin (Golden Castle), the castle consists of two sections. The first section serves as a natural wall, formed by the steep alignment of the rock face to the east, north, and west. The second section is constructed on top of this natural wall using hard limestone cut stones as a wall covering. The northern and eastern walls feature seven rectangular towers, and the northern wall contains numerous loopholes. The rocky extension to the south of the castle was carved out in the 12th century to create a moat, thus cutting off the direct connection between the castle and the mainland. Besides the ramparts and towers, the architectural remains visible today at Rumkale include the Church of Saint Nerses, the Barşavma Monastery, houses from the Republican era, numerous building ruins, water cisterns, a well, and a moat. The structures on the ground are known to date from the 12th to 14th centuries. It is said that during the Roman period, John, one of Jesus' apostles, came to Rumkale and reproduced copies of the Bible in a rock-carved chamber. The castle fell into Ottoman hands in 1516.
