Tophisar Castle

Tophisar Castle, locally known as Tophisar Kalesi, lies on a hill east of the village of the same name, in the province of Bursa in Turkey.

Nothing is known about the history of Tophisar Castle. Based on its architectural remains it is thought to have been built sometime during the 13th century by the Byzantine Empire. It guarded a nearby ancient road through the region. The original village probably was situated around the castle but disappeared. In the late 19th century the present village was founded more to the west.

The castle had an oval ground plan following the shape of the hill. What remains today are the ruins of several towers and the curtain wall. Beneath the western edge of the castle hill stands the ruin of a small mosque, probably built using the ruin of an earlier church.

At present Tophisar Castle is freely accessible. A nice small castle ruin.

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