The fortress of Saimbeyli may be the castle of
Berdus, which appears on the Coronation List of
King Levon I of
Cilician Armenia in A.D. 1198/99. This fortress, which guards the strategic road between
Kayseri to the north and the
Rubenid castle of
Vahka to the south, stands on the junction of two valleys and two tributaries of the Seyhan River. The plan and masonry of Saimbeyli’s castle are identical to the military architecture in the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia and undoubtedly date from the mid-12th century to the 13th century. Opposite and below the fortress are the substantial remains of ecclesiastical and civilian architecture, which date from the 14th through the 19th century. An Armenian monastic complex dedicated to St. James is perched on the side of a tall hill at the northwest end of the village. It stood on a 12th century foundation, but it was rebuilt in 1554 by Bishop Khatchadour and was purposefully desecrated during the
Adana massacres of the
Armenian genocide, leaving little remains. Violence consumed
Marash and
Hadjin during the
Adana massacres of April 1909, when estimates of the death toll grew to exceed 5,000.
Rose Lambert, an American missionary at Hadjin, wrote in her book how many sought refuge in the missionary compound for safety. Reports to British authorities surfaced that imperial Ottoman leaders were "either indifferent or conniving in the slaughter." Some order was restored by April 20, and the British cruiser
HMS Swiftsure was able to deliver "provisions and medicines intended for Adana." A "threatening" report from Hadjin indicated that well-armed
Armenians were held up in the town, "beleaguered by Moslem tribesmen who are only awaiting sufficient numerical strength to rush the improvised defenses erected by the Armenians." ==Population==