Koules is in a dilapidated condition at the entrance of the Amari valley, on a hill North of the Merona settlement. It is a 19th-century fortress, built by the Turks in the period 1866-1869 along with others in strategic points of Crete, for controlling the Cretan revolutions more effectively. Koules was a fairly large and solid structure, which consisted of two buildings, while at the same time, it was reinforced with bastions.