Behramşah Castle

Behramşah Castle, locally known as Behramşah or Muşali Kalesi, lies next to the village of Muşalikalesi, in the province of Yozgat in Turkey.

It is thought that Behramşah Castle was founded by the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm in the mid-13th century. It was bought by Kadi Burhan al-Din, Sultan of the Eretnids, in the 1380s. He used the area of the castle as hunting ground.

Shortly after the Battle of Ankara (1402), in which the troops of Timur defeated the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, a Mongolian emir besieged the castle. By then it had become an Ottoman possession. The siege was unsuccessful, and the emir was defeated by Bayezid's son, the future sultan, Mehmed I.

In 1518 Behramşah Castle was mentioned to house a garrison of 10 military personnel and was apparently an important regional fortification for the Ottomans. The size of this garrison was maintained until 1574, when it decreased to 7. This probably was caused by the fact that the Ottoman administration in Zile Castle became active around that time. From then on, the military and political importance of Behramşah gradually declined as its tasks shifted to Zile Castle. The castle, however, was active until the mid-18th century, after which it was probably abandoned.

The castle is situated on a hill of volcanic rock, west of the Bahçe stream, looking out over the village and the surrounding valley. What remains of the castle today are parts of the west curtain walls. These walls have an inner rubble core and are dressed with cut rocks. The castle gate seems to have been in the west wall, in the south part of the castle. Near the gate, different kinds of rocks are used in the outward face of the curtain wall, probably the result of a repair. On the hill slope, between the castle and the village, are the village graveyard and also the ruins of two 15th century tombs.

Behramşah Castle is freely accessible. I liked this castle ruin very much.

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