Çoban Castle

Çoban Castle, locally known as Çobankale, lies on a hill north of the village of Karadere, in the province of Yalova in Turkey.

Çoban Castle, situated on a 150-meter-high hill next to the road leading from Constantinople to inner Anatolia, was probably built during the 11th century by the Byzantines. The present remains however mainly date back to the 2nd half of the 12th century.

In 1204 the Crusaders from the Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople and formed the Latin Empire. Due to the castle's strategic location, it was given special importance by the Crusaders to secure their dominance in the region and to control the road to Nicaea (present-day Iznik), which was still under Byzantine control and became the capital of the Empire of Nicaea. In 1261, the Byzantines, after they had recaptured Constantinople from the Latins, took back control of Çoban castle.

In 1302, during the Battle of Bapheus which was fought somewhere nearby, the castle was sieged and taken by Ottoman troops. It resisted Byzantine sieges until the city of Nicomedia (present-day Izmit) finally surrendered to the Ottomans in 1337 and the area became Ottoman territory.

At present only overgrown foundations and low wall parts remain. Apparently the site is being archaeologically excavated. The castle has an irregular ground plan encompassing the entire top of the hill. 

The site of Çoban Castle is freely accessible. You will have to make a small hike up a mountain path to get to it. But there is not very much to see, so not very interesting.

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