Turhal Castle

Turhal Castle

Turhal Castle, locally known as Turhal Kalesi, lies in the center of the town of the same name, in the province of Tokat in Turkey.

The settlement of Turhal was first mentioned by the famous Greek geographer Strabo as Talaura. He described it as a fortress. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the region was taken over by the Kingdom of Pontus. They then built a strong fortress on a rocky hill, next to the Iris River (modern Yeşilırmak River). During the Third Mithridatic War, in the 1st century BC, the Pontic fortress was captured and subsequently destroyed by the Roman general Pompey. Later, the Romans rebuilt it to control traffic to and from Amasya.

Turhal Castle passed to the Byzantine Empire in 395 AD with the division of the Roman Empire into two separate empires. During the Byzantine era, it suffered from raids by the Sasanids in the 5th century and later from the Arabs in the 8th century. It was captured by the Danishmends in 1071. Ownership of the castle subsequently passed to the Seljuks, the Ilkhanids, the Eretnids and finally to the Ottoman Empire in the 1390s. After a short occupation by troops of the Mongol conqueror Timur, the castle reverted to the Ottomans in 1413.

I was not able to find any historical information about the castle after the 15th century. It does, however, seems to have been used for military purposes until the beginning of this century. I think this because on earlier pictures there are a lot of antennas on top of the castle hill. I also found some concrete foundations and small buildings within the castle precinct. There was even a discarded old, probably early 20th century, piece of artillery lying around.

The castle ruins were consolidated in the last decade. They mainly consist of two turrets and rebuilt wall foundations. I also encountered some, unguarded openings of underground cisterns, so watch your step when you visit. There is also a tunnel cut into the rock. Its descent was so steep that I didn't dare to climb down. Apparently it counts 350 steps and leads to a water source. Legend even has it that it goes under an inn, next to the riverside.

Turhal Castle is freely accessible. A curious but small mix of old and new constructions, so not very interesting.

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Turhal Castle

Turhal Castle

Turhal Castle, locally known as Turhal Kalesi, lies in the center of the town of the same name, in the province of Tokat in Turkey.

The settlement of Turhal was first mentioned by the famous Greek geographer Strabo as Talaura. He described it as a fortress. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the region was taken over by the Kingdom of Pontus. They then built a strong fortress on a rocky hill, next to the Iris River (modern Yeşilırmak River). During the Third Mithridatic War, in the 1st century BC, the Pontic fortress was captured and subsequently destroyed by the Roman general Pompey. Later, the Romans rebuilt it to control traffic to and from Amasya.

Turhal Castle passed to the Byzantine Empire in 395 AD with the division of the Roman Empire into two separate empires. During the Byzantine era, it suffered from raids by the Sasanids in the 5th century and later from the Arabs in the 8th century. It was captured by the Danishmends in 1071. Ownership of the castle subsequently passed to the Seljuks, the Ilkhanids, the Eretnids and finally to the Ottoman Empire in the 1390s. After a short occupation by troops of the Mongol conqueror Timur, the castle reverted to the Ottomans in 1413.

I was not able to find any historical information about the castle after the 15th century. It does, however, seems to have been used for military purposes until the beginning of this century. I think this because on earlier pictures there are a lot of antennas on top of the castle hill. I also found some concrete foundations and small buildings within the castle precinct. There was even a discarded old, probably early 20th century, piece of artillery lying around.

The castle ruins were consolidated in the last decade. They mainly consist of two turrets and rebuilt wall foundations. I also encountered some, unguarded openings of underground cisterns, so watch your step when you visit. There is also a tunnel cut into the rock. Its descent was so steep that I didn't dare to climb down. Apparently it counts 350 steps and leads to a water source. Legend even has it that it goes under an inn, next to the riverside.

Turhal Castle is freely accessible. A curious but small mix of old and new constructions, so not very interesting.

Gallery

Details
Hits: 476