Bash Tapia Castle, (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: باشطابيا) also known as Bashtabiya Castle or Pashtabia Castle, is a ruined 12th-century

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

located on the western bank of the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

river, forming part of the city wall of

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

, Iraq. It was partially destroyed by the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL) in April 2015.

History

Bash Tapia Castle was built in the 12th century as one of seven castles within Mosul's city wall. The castle was damaged by

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

in 1393, and was later rebuilt by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Bash Tapia Castle played an important role in the siege of Mosul during the Ottoman–Persian War of 1743–1746. The siege began on 14 September 1743 when the Shah of Persia,

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

, arrived in city. The Pasha of Mosul, Hajji Hossein Al Jalili, successfully defended the city, and the siege was lifted on 23 October of the same year. The ruins of the castle were an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

, and were also significant as being one of the few surviving parts of Mosul's walls. The castle was a landmark and a symbol of Mosul's identity, and it was popular with tourists from other parts of Iraq and neighbouring countries. It became neglected after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Destruction

The city of Mosul was captured by the

on 10 June 2014, and Bash Tapia Castle was damaged in the subsequent fighting. A

missile A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor. Historically, 'missile' referred to any projectile that is thrown, shot or propelled towards a target; this ...

fell near the castle on 10 July and damaged its walls, while a drone fired two shells on it on 23 July. According to reports by the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism, the castle was blown up by ISIL in April 2015, making it one of many heritage sites destroyed by that group. Photos released by ISIL in 2016 show that parts of the castle remain intact. The remains of the castle were recaptured by the Iraqi Army in June 2017.

References

{{Castles in Iraq Mosul Ruined castles Castles in Iraq Archaeological sites in Iraq Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Buildings and structures demolished in 2015 Buildings and structures destroyed by ISIL Ottoman fortifications