Asar Castle

Asar Castle, locally known as Asar Kalesi, lies north of the village of Çalışlar, in the province of Bolu in Turkey.

Asar Castle was probably a small fort of Byzantine origin, as surface finds of Byzantine pottery shards on the castle rock and the field below indicate. It was built on a rocky outcrop in a bend of the Gerede stream.

Legend has it that there was a settlement on a hill east of the castle, on the other side of the stream. This settlement would be connected with a cave in the north face of the castle rock via a secret tunnel under the stream. Thus allowing the villagers to seek shelter in the castle in times of danger.

At present, all that remains of the castle is a wall on the east side of the castle rock. Probably this was also where the entrance was situated. As I was visiting solo, I did not manage to find a safe way into the castle, so there may be other small remains on top of the rock.

Asar Castle is freely accessible. From the nearest road, west of the castle, it takes a short walk through some fields, past a disused marble quarry. Not an interesting site, maybe only for die-hard castle fans like me. I liked the green surroundings.

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