Alacaoluk Castle

Alacaoluk Castle, locally known as Alacaoluk Kalesi, lies on a hill in the Ala mountains, in the province of Balıkesir in Turkey. I have also seen it called Taban Kale.

Nothing is known about the history of Alacaoluk Castle. According to legend, when Alexander the Great passed through the region in the 4th century BC he had his army camp on the Gönen Plain. However, because his men got sick from the mosquitoes, he had 2 castles built on higher ground; Alacaoluk and Babayaka.

Based on its architectural remains, however, the castle is thought to have been built either during the reign of the Roman emperor Theodosius II (402-450 AD) or that of the Byzantine emperor Anastasius I Dicorus (491-518 AD). It guarded the valley of the Gönen River (called the Aesepus in Roman times).

The castle has an oval ground plan with 11 towers. There seems to have been something like a square keep in the midst of the castle.

At present Alacaoluk Castle can freely be visited. A few years ago the castle was cleared of trees and undergrowth, sadly enough this has all sprung up again. So navigating within the castle walls is rather difficult. A nice castle, too bad it is so overgrown. To get to it, you will have to walk for about 30 minutes from the main road.

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