Description of the attraction
Located on the peninsula of the same name, Cesme is one of the most visited cities in Turkey. This peninsula is washed by the waves of the Aegean Sea. The springs discovered here in the 18th - 19th centuries gave the name to the city, since the Turkish word “chesme” is translated into Russian as: “source”, “fountain”.
Its main attraction is the Genoese fortress, majestically towering over the city. The purpose of its construction was to protect against attacks by pirates of the nearby coast. It was erected in the XIV century, and restored already in the XVI century, when the country was ruled by Sultan Bayezid II. But it didn’t last long. A century later, during the war with the Venetian Republic, as a result of the assault, it was completely destroyed.
And in the 18th century, the fortress was rebuilt. Its exclusively military purpose led to the fact that it became a place of deployment for a long time, until 1833, a military garrison. In addition, it served as a residence for the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. And already in the XX century, the authorities decided to open the Archaeological Museum in the North Tower.
The fortress in Cesme is also famous for the fact that at one time it served as a refuge for the comrades-in-arms of the famous pirate Hayraddin Barbarossa, who, despite his "criminal" past, later rose to the rank of admiral of the Turkish fleet.
The six stately towers with the surrounding moat make the fortress especially picturesque.
Every year, in July, the fortress turns into an open theater, which hospitably opens its doors to the participants of the International Music Festival.
