Everyone likes Turkey: the warm sea and comfortable hotels suit beach lovers, interesting sights delight fans of excursions. In the country on the border of the West and the East, in addition to green canyons and picturesque lakes, mosques with slender minarets and Byzantine churches, sultan's palaces and ancient ruins, one can also single out the 5 most ancient fortresses of Turkey.
Historic forts are now occupied by museums or built up with residential buildings. Each ancient fortress is a tourist gem, which is of constant interest among tourists.
Alanya fortress
Alanya is the most popular Mediterranean resort in Turkey. Everyone who has visited this city at least once will remember the local fort, erected on a rocky promontory protruding into the sea.
The fortress in Alanya existed in the days of the ancient Greeks. The present appearance of the fort was given by the architects who were in the service of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad in the 13th century. Then the castle on a hill by the sea could be accessed through several entrance gates. Unfortunately, some of them have not survived to this day.
Later, over the centuries, Alanya changed hands several times, but this did not have much effect on the shape of the castle and the fortifications associated with it. On the map of Piri Reis, dated 1525, we see the same castle towering over the rest of the city.
Alanya Fortress is open to tourists who can see:
- the outer fort of Dyshkale, near which the Red Tower rises - Kyzyl Kule;
- the citadel of Ichkale, which can be translated as the Inner Castle, where a Byzantine temple and cisterns for storing rainwater have been preserved;
- The middle castle (Ortakale) with the 16th century Suleymaniye Mosque and the 13th century tomb of the commander Akshebe.
The entrance to the citadel and the Red Tower, where the ethnographic exhibition works, is paid. The rest of the castle can be bypassed for free.
Mardin Castle
The fortress, which is 3 thousand years old, is located in the town of Mardin near the Syrian border. From the castle walls you can see Syria - and this is the best observation deck in the city.
The huge Mardin Castle, also called the Eagle's Nest, is crowned by the local hill. It is believed that this fortification, about a kilometer long, was built by the Turkic tribes. On the one hand, the fortress is protected by almost sheer cliffs, on the other - by high walls.
Around the castle, a trading city gradually began to form, through which the famous Silk Road passed.
The castle and the city were successively owned by many peoples: Sumerians, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, and then the Ottomans. Under the Ottoman Empire, at the beginning of the 19th century, the castle began to be taken apart piece by piece by local residents who needed building material for their own homes.
Now the castle, which was used by the military for some time, is being restored. On the territory of the fortress there are a number of interesting buildings, for example, the palace of the rulers, 2 mosques, a hammam, warehouses, etc.
Rumelihisary's fortress
The Rumelihisary Fortress is located in Istanbul, in the European part of the city, in the Sariyer district. It was built by order of Sultan Mehmed II in 1452 to control the Bosphorus. Exactly 139 days were spent on the construction of the castle. Moreover, the defensive fortification was erected on the foundation of an older building - the Foneus fortress, built by the Byzantines.
There was still a year left before the fall of Constantinople. The castle of Rumelihisary became one of the strongholds of Sultan Mehmed II, who was besieging the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Not a single ship could pass by this fortress. The Venetian ship, testing the strength of the nerves of the Ottomans, thrusting into the Bosphorus, was immediately sunk.
After the capture of Constantinople by the Sultan, the Rumelihisara castle was converted into a customs house, and festive fireworks were given from the once formidable cannons.
Currently, tourists are allowed into the fortress: the Museum of Artillery works there and sometimes open-air concerts are held. Paid entrance.
Castle Kadifekale
Far from the center of Izmir, on a hill, the Kadifekale fortress was built, whose name translates as Velvet. It is worth coming here if only for the splendid panoramas that open from the castle walls.
With the construction of Kadifekale Smyrna, as Izmir was formerly called, destroyed by the Persians in about 540 BC. e., received a second life. The new city owes the construction of the fortress to Lysimachus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. This happened in the 4th century BC. NS. Then a new city began to form around the castle, descending directly to the sea.
The castle served as a defensive fortification for different peoples. Little has survived from the old buildings to our time, although the Turks have already invested a lot of money in the restoration of the fortress in the new millennium.
In Kadifekale, you must see the Roman water reservoirs, the mosque and the south wall with 5 towers.
No money is charged for visiting the fortress.
Mamure Fortress
Opposite Cyprus, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Anamur is built. Probably its most interesting attraction is the Mamure Castle, which is located 7 km from the city. It is dated back to the 3rd century. It was built by the ancient Romans, and then improved by representatives of other peoples who ruled the local lands.
The castle acquired its present appearance during the reign of Sultan Alaeddin Keikudaba, who conquered Anamur in 1221. The new ruler ordered to expand the defensive walls, build a number of towers into them and dig a ditch from the land side along the fortress. At the beginning of the XIV century, a mosque and baths appeared in the castle.
The next owners of the fortress were the Ottomans. A military garrison is located in the castle. Now the fortress is at the mercy of tourists.
