Turkey has a lot of magnificent castles.
If you travel Turkey you should visit some of them.
We listed some magnificent castles in Turkey:
Zilkale – Rize
Zilkale is built on the western slopes of Fırtına Creek, 15 km south of Çamlıhemşin. The castle consists of outer walls, middle walls and a inner castle. There are three important structures in the castle. These are: the guard house, chapel and head tower. It is understood from the beam marks and beam holes on the walls that the tower has four floors. It is known that Zil Kale, like many castles in the region, provides security both in the region and on an important medieval caravan route reaching İspir.
Kilitbahir Castle – Canakkale
Kilitbahir Castle was built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1462-1463. It is known that the name of the castle, which resembles a clover leaf from the air, is Kilid-ül Bahir, meaning “Lock of the Sea”. It was established at the foot of a hill just opposite Kale-i Sultaniye. The building consists of three parts: the outer castle, the inner castle and the main tower.
The castle was built entirely with rough hewn stones. The opening parts are tile arched and the doors and windows are made of white marble.
Amasya Castle
The rock on which Amasya Castle was built is 700 meters above sea level and 300 meters above Yeşilırmak. The Castle, which consists of three parts, namely the Icheri Şehir (Hatuniye District), Kızlar Sarayı and Upper Castle (Harşena), underwent an important restoration after the Turks conquered Amasya in 1075. The castle, which was used until the 18th century, lost its military importance after this century. There are cisterns, water tanks, bath ruins from the Ottoman Period and Pontus King Tombs carved into the rock in the castle.
Alanya Castle – Antalya
Alanya Castle is one of the hundreds of castles adorning Anatolia, which has survived today and is one of the well-preserved medieval castles. The castle looks like an open-air museum with its 6.5 km long walls, 140 bastions, nearly 400 cisterns inside, and magnificent inscribed and decorated gates. This castle, which is a structure of the Seljuk Period, has a clover plan. It is thought to have been built in the 12th century due to its architectural features.
Boyabat Castle – Sinop
Boyabat Castle was built on one of the two steep rocky hills in the Gökırmak Valley. The castle was built in accordance with the natural structure of the rocks. Some of the towers between the castle bodies are rectangular; some are round, and the inside of the tower. The entrance to the castle is located the southeast corner, through a small door next to the large round tower.
Diyarbakir Castle
Diyarbakir Castle, whose walls and bastions are original and unique cultural assets, still preserves its characteristic of being an important universal heritage for world history. Diyarbakır Walls is one of the oldest and strongest structures in the world, have been the subject of many folk songs, poems and legends. It is one of the rare castles in the world with its magnificent reliefs and inscriptions on its bastions. The vital cooperation of Diyarbakır Castle and Hevsel Gardens and the landscape created by Hevsel Gardens are the most important factors in the uninterrupted life of the city and its gardens for thousands of years.
Güvercinada Castle – Aydın
Güvercinada Castle was built at the mouth of Kuşadası Bay, in a position protecting the harbour. There is an inner castle built by Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha and the walls built by İlyas Ağa on Güvercinada. These walls were built during the Peloponnese Rebellion to prevent attacks from the islands and the sea.
Mamure Castle – Mersin
Mamure Castle, located on the Mediterranean coastline, is one of the largest castles in Turkey that has survived to the present day. The castle consists of three parts. It consists of the inner courtyard in the east, separated by high walls, the outer castle in the west and the inner castle built on the rocks to the south of them. Mamure Castle has an important place among the castles in Turkey, as it bears traces of the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, Karamanli and Ottoman periods.
Bodrum Castle – Mugla
Bodrum Castle was built by the Knights of Saint Jean between 1406-1522 on a rocky peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides. The stones of the Mausoleion, one of the Seven Wonders of the World that was destroyed in the earthquake, were used in the construction of the castle. There are French, Italian, English, German and Spanish (Serpentine) Towers in the castle.
Today, Bodrum Underwater Archeology Museum is located in Bodrum Castle. It is the only one of our country and one of the most important underwater archaeology museums in the world. In the museum, this received the “Special Praise” award in the Museum of the Year in Europe in 1995, the results of the underwater excavations and researches. In addition to the artefacts’ obtained from excavations and researches in and around Bodrum are also exhibited.
Rumkale – Gaziantep
Rumkale is located on a hill covered with high rocks, where the Euphrates River and Merzimen Stream meet. Among the structures that can be seen in the castle today are the St. Nerses Church, the Barşavma Monastery, many building remains, water cisterns, a well and a ditch.
In the Roman period, St. This settlement plays an important role in the history of Christianity, as Yohannes, one of the apostles of Jesus, came and settled in Rumkale and spread the Christianity religion there.
Tirebolu Castle – Giresun
Tirebolu Castle is located in the town centre of Tirebolu, on a peninsula extending towards the sea. Although the exact date of construction of the castle is not known, it is BC. It is thought to have been built in the 15th century. There are foundations of some buildings inside the castle. At the beginning of these, there is a mosque mihrab carved into the south wall and the wall foundations of this mosque.
Uchisar Castle – Nevsehir
Uçhisar Castle is the peak point of Cappadocia. It is the biggest and most beautiful fairy chimney seen from all over Cappadocia. The summit of the castle is the only place where Cappadocia can be seen from a bird’s eye view.
There are many carved tombs and large cisterns at the summit of the castle. Looking down from the castle to the north, you can see the Walnut fairy chimneys, Nevşehir and Oylu Mountain in the west, the new Uçhisar just in front of the castle, and the summit of Hasan Mountain in the far southwest.
Hoşap Castle – Van
Hoşap Castle consists of the castle built on a steep rock mass in the northwest of Hoşap Suyu, the inner castle and the outer castle to the north of it. The castle, which dates back to the Urartu State, has survived to the present day as it was built by the Mahmudi Beys, who were subject to the Ottoman State. The castle, which was abandoned in the middle of the 19th century, has survived to the present day with its structures inside. For this reason, it is one of the remarkable symbolic structures of the region.