Zilkale is a medieval
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 in the
Fırtına Valley (literally "Storm Valley") within the
Pontic Mountains
The Pontic Mountains or Pontic Alps (, meaning 'North Anatolian Mountains'), form a mountain range in northern Anatolia, Turkey. They are also known as the "Parhar Mountains" in the local Turkish and Pontic Greek languages. The term ''Parhar'' ...
, and is one of the most important historical structures in the
Çamlıhemşin district of
Rize Province, within the
Black Sea Region of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
The castle is built at an altitude of , and sits at the edge of a cliff overlooking the
Fırtına River () approximately below, running at an elevation of southeast of it.
In the 1st-4th centuries AD it was the capital of the
Laz principality of
Macron-Henochi. The castle consists of the outer walls, middle walls and the inner castle. There are garrison quarters, and a possible chapel and head tower.
Etymology
Zilkale: ''Zil'' means "bell" and ''kale'' means "castle" in
Turkish (''Zilkale'' = "Bell Castle").
Alternatively:
Zirkale: ''Zir'' means "lower" in
Persian and ''kale'' means "castle" in Turkish (''Zirkale'' = "Lower Castle").
[Öztürk, Ö. Karadeniz. p. 1210]
Notes
External links
All about the regionZilkale picsHQ Zilkale image
{{Castles in Turkey
Buildings and structures in Rize Province
Empire of Trebizond
Tourist attractions in Rize Province
Byzantine fortifications in Turkey