Filyos Castle

Filyos Castle, locally known as Filyos Kalesi, lies in the town of the same name, in the province of Zonguldak in Turkey.

Filyos Castle probably started out as the acropolis of the ancient city of Tium/Tios. That city was founded as a colony from the Greek city of Miletus in the 7th century BC. Tium prospered during Roman and later Byzantine times, and the acropolis turned into a castle.

In 1269 it was still mentioned as a Byzantine harbor town, when it had escaped the attacks of the Sejuks. When Byzantine control over the town ended is unknown. But in 1403, when the Castilian traveler Ruy González de Clavijo sailed by, on his way to the court of Timur as an ambassador, he found the town inhabited by Seljuks and the castle ungarrisoned.

The castle was built on a promontory jutting out into the Black Sea. The ancient city was situated in a bowl-shaped valley south of it. Remains of the city, like a much ruined amphitheater and a Roman basilica, can still be seen there, although very overgrown. Beneath the castle are also the remains of a partly submerged Roman harbor. The castle was laid out over a couple of terraces, of which only the middle terrace can be visited.

Filyos Castle can be visited for free during opening hours. The castle itself is not much to behold, but together with the remains of the ancient city, its harbor and its beautiful coastal location, I really enjoyed my visit.

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