İspir Castle

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

The site of Ispir Castle, a rock next to the confluence of a stream with the Çoruh River (the ancient Akampsis), may already have been fortified since the 1st millenium BC.

When the present İspir Castle was built here is unknown, although it is thought to date back to sometime during the 12th century, when the area was part of the Ilkhanate; a Mongol khanate. The town itself though is much older as it was situated on an intersection of several routes, like that between Rhizaion (modern Rize) and Theodosiopolis (modern Erzurum).

Inside the castle there is the ruin of a church built in the 13th century, which shows Trapezuntine characteristics, together with a mosque which dates back to the same era. This might seem strange because at that time the area was under Muslim rule, but the town then had an almost fully Christian population.

The castle was restored during the reign of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century.

This is all the historical information I was able to find, if you know more, please mail me.

İspir Castle is freely accessible. A nicely situated castle ruin.

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