Behramkale Castle

Behramkale Castle, locally known as Behram Kale, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Çanakkale in Turkey.

The site of Behramkale Castle was originally the acropolis of the antique Greek city of Assos. Hence the present village is still often called Assos. The city was founded in the 10th century BC. It experienced its greatest prosperity during the 4th century BC and was for 3 years the home of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Later, around 55 AD, it was visited by Luke the Evangelist and Paul the Apostle. After the first century AD the city dwindled and shrunk to become a small village.

The acropolis of Assos was built upon a 234-meter-high crag and held a Temple of Athena of which still parts remain. In Byzantine times a new fortification wall with several towers was built around the old acropolis, effectively turning it into a castle. Also several cisterns were cut into the rock which were used by the villagers until the 1950s.

Assos, which was under the rule of the Byzantine commander Makhron, was conquered by Ottoman forces during the reign of Sultan Murad I in the 2nd part of the 14th century.

At present the site of the antique Greek city Assos, together with the castle, can be visited for a fee. A great site; although not much remains of the castle, together with the remains of the antique city, it surely requires a visit. The present village is very charming too.

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