QuoteReplyTopic: Castles Posted: 06-Nov-2005 at 21:23
Please share some photos and information about castles in your country!
Ostrozac Castle, Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Not far down the Una River you'll find it...
Ostrozac Castle is one of the most important castles in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. It guarded the village of Ostrozac, now basically a suburb
of the city of Bihac. It covers a huge area because in the event of
attack, all the people in the surrounding villages had to be able to
cram inside to help defend it.
It was home to several of Bosnia's most influential rulers and today is
used as a tourist attraction, concert theatre, and a place for raves
and other parties. COLTRAN FESTIVAL is held every year at the castle,
the largest electronica festival in the Balkans.
Cape Anamur is the southern most point of the Anatolian peninsula.
From this cape it is possible to see Cyprus and thus all the ships
sailing between Panfilia and Cilicia. A few miles to the east of the
cape, the Romans built on a small rock a little fortress, which was
enlarged by the Crusaders and later on at the beginning of the XIIIth
century it was entirely rebuilt by the Seljuk Emir of Karaman.
Mamure Kalesi is built on the waterfront and it was strengthened in
more recent times by the Ottomans, who built a fine tower on its
eastern side which offers the most evocative view of the castle
Walls inside the castle split it into three parts, in order to allow further resistance in case the enemy had
gained access to its interior.
The view from the western side shows the rocks upon which the fortress was built at the beginning.
A deep moat completed the defense of the castle. The Emir of Karaman put an inscription above the only entrance to the castle: I brought the water, I rebuilt the castle.
The castle hosted a small town with fountains, mosques and hammams.
Edited by erci
"When one hears such music, what can one say, but .... Salieri?"
The Seljuks built on the headland an impressive fortification system made of long stretches of walls, towers and castles (Kale).
Kizil Kule (Red Tower) is an octagonal tower built in 1226 to protect the harbour. It is so
popular that it is shown on the old 250 TL note.
The access to the top of the hill was protected by three curtain-walls with over 100 towers.
The gates had inscriptions celebrating the Seljuk sultans.
The walls on the eastern side of the headland are very well preserved. They clearly show that they were built before
the invention of modern artillery. Because of the loss of importance of Alaye, the Ottomans did not
care to bring them up to the new warfare requirements.
Ehdemek Kale is a large fortress which hosted the main buildings of the town. Today its covered market (bedesten) is a fine hotel.
The mosque in Ehdemek Kale was built in the XVIIth century upon a Seljuk mosque.
In the upper fortress (I Kale) the ruins of a little Byzantine church are the only memory of that historical period.
"When one hears such music, what can one say, but .... Salieri?"
Tesanj is a small town in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is
one of the only Muslim towns that survived WWI, WWII, and 1992-1995
relatively unscathed and so it's a nice glimpse into how much of Bosnia
used to look - before the commieblocks went up.
The castle is typical of village defenses throughout Bosnia and
Herzegovina only it is completely restored and still in use, so looks
far newer.
Srebrenik (NOT Srebrenica), Bosnia and Herzeogovina
Srebrenik is a tiny town with one of Bosnia's most impressive
castles. It's built high in th alps overlooking several towns and
villages, but it is named for the town of Srebrenik.
A significant portion of the castle is actually carved out of stone. It
is almost impossible to reach unless the rope bridge is in place.
bosna is beautiful. i've seen some of the old castles around the
krajina -from bihac to velika kladusa - havent been in bosna since 98
when i moved from munich to chicago. im planing to go back
hopefully this upcoming summer.
Dragon of Bosnia Tower - Kula Zmaj od Bosne
Gradačac, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Dragon of Bosnia Tower is not only
one of the most beautifully restored castles in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
it is also the most historically important one. There is no other
castle in the country which burns the hearts of Bosnians who look at it
with such pride.
The castle was home to Husein-kapetan Gradačević, who came to be known as the Dragon of Bosnia. Gradačević was born in Gradačac
in 1802 and grew up surrounded by a political climate of turmoil in the
western reaches of the Ottoman Empire.
When his brother Murat was
poisoned by a rival in 1821,
Gradačević rose to the head of the Gradačac military captaincy. The
young Husein developed a reputation for wise rule and tolerance and
soon became one of the most popular figures in Bosnia.
In 1831, Gradačević was called upon to lead the movement for Bosnian
autonomy. He overthrew the loyalist Vizier and other anti-rebellion
figures, becoming the de facto ruler of the Bosnian administrative unit in the process.
On July 18 of the same year, Gradačević met a large force commanded by
the grand vizier himself near Shtimje/timlje in Kosovo and dealt a
heavy defeat to the imperial army. At that point, he
decided to turn back from further campaigns and returned to Bosnia
where he was proclaimed the new Vizier by his soldiers on September 12.
He offered the Ottoman Empire peace in exchange for Bosnian
independence.
By 1832, however, the tide of the rebellion had turned. After a series
of smaller clashes, the decisive battle occurred on the 17th and 18th
of May outsideSarajevo. Initially successful, the rebels were
eventually defeated when Herzegovinan reinforcements arrived and sided
with the Sultan.
Although the Bosniak uprising would not be completely quelled for
another 18 years, Gradačević was forced to flee to the
Austro-Hungarian Empire on May 31.
From there he negotiated for his return with the Sultan and was
ultimately allowed back but barred from ever entering Bosnia again. He
moved to Belgrade and then to Istanbul,
where he died under mysterious circumstances on August 17, 1834. A
legend in his own time, Gradačević is considered a Bosniak national
hero and one of the most revered figures in the history of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
There was a well-known saying among Bosniaks that for years after his death not a single man among our people would be able to hear his name and not shed a tear.
This positive sentiment was not exclusive to the Muslim population, as
Christians from Posavina are thought to have shared a similar view for
decades.
"God I fear slightly,the Sultan not at all, and the Grand Vizier no more than my own horse." - Husein-kapetan Gradačević
I think you all know Assassins
(Hashshashins,"hashish smokers"), the worst terrorists in the history,
those who believed murdering as a religious duty, the open history of
the Assassins began in 1090, when Hasan-e Sabbah and his allies
captured the hill fortress of Alamut near Kazvin, Iran. From this
centre, by the end of the 11th century, Hasan, as grand master or
leader of the sect, commanded a chain of strongholds all over Iran and
Iraq, a network of propagandists, a corps of devoted terrorists, and an
unknown number of agents in enemy camps and cities. The Seljuq
sultanate's attempts to capture Alamut failed, and soon the Assassins
were claiming many victims among the generals and statesmen of the
'Abbasid caliphate, including two caliphs.
I went there for the first time in the last friday, it was great
especially in summer because Alamut is in a cold region, the distance
between Kazvin (ancient Caspian) and Tehran is about 130 km and there
is about 90 km between Almaut and Kazvin, of course the second one
takes more time because the road is very winding.
Anyway the first place that we visted in Alamut region, was the beautiful lake of Ovan:
After this lake, you see that the region becomes a little
mysterious, the shapes of mountains are different and there are many
caves and hidden places there.
Castle of Alamut is at the top of one of these mountains:
There are several watch towers with different shapes in this mountain:
There is just one difficult road to the castle, it is a great building, however it has been destroyed badly:
Once a famous citadel and strategic stronghold, this fort has been
built on a huge rock and covers an area of six square kilometers in
all. It is 300 meters long and 200 meters wide and consists of two
parts.
The fort is a five-story structure of unbaked brick and must have been
constructed before the fifth and sixth centuries A.H. (11th and 12th
centuries A.D.).
The place has undergone frequent repairs and comprises a rampart, an
ancient entrance, adequate fortifications, some Safavid structures, a
mosque, and a building known as (Char-Fasl) or (Palace of four
seasons).
There are two inscriptions in this vast and magnificent construction,
which are indicative of recent reparations. Both tablets bear the date
20th Azar 1337 S.H. year (1958 A.D.); one of these has been installed
by the society for the Preservation of National Monuments and the
other, by the Department of Archaeology.
The next of the latter is as follows: (The Citadel of Bam, which was
habitable and in a fairly good condition until a hundred and fifty
years ago, has, according to (Hundud al-Alam) and other reliable
sources that have come down to us from 4th century A.H. (10th century
A.D.), been founded some 2000 years back, and has been repeatedly
repaired thereafter.
This commemorative tablet relates to the completion of the repairs of
the watchtower and a part of the Governor`s residence. Azar 1337.
Department of Archaeology.
(Kerman is the heart of the world ...) so says Shah
Nemat-ol-lah-e-vali, the well known sufi-poet of the 8th century A.H.
(Heart of the world) is as old as the history itself. R. Frye in the
Heritage of Persia ( London,1962) brings up the possibility that the
Kermani or Germani tribe has given its name to the area of its
residence. Berossus, the Chaldean historian ( 3rd cent. BC ) in his
account of the fall of Babylon to Cyrus the Great says that the Persian.
Shahanshah sent Nabonidus, the fallen Babylonian king, to exile in
Kerman, where he resided till his death (Pirmia -Moshir- ol- Dowleh-
Hassan. Iram-e-Bastan, Tehran, 1362). This, regardless of its
historical accuracy, establishes Kerman as one of the major province of
Iran, housing a population of 1,850,000.
190 Km to the south east of the city of Kerman, in the midst of the
vast, endless, gray deserts, lies the ever-green city of Bam, the
(Emerald of the Desert). This city with its extensive palm groves and
citrus gardens is essentially an agricultural city, benefiting from
very rich sub-terranean water reserves, surfacing through a great
number of miles long (qanats), or sub-terranean aqueducts and water
canals, in an area noted for the scarcity of water in it. The
citrus fruits of Bam, its oranges, tangerines, its sweet lemons, are
well known, and its dates, especially the (Mozafati) brand, a unique
well known for its delicacy are of universal fame. Lately, while the
opening of new international markets have revitalized the agricultural
activities in the area, pumping new blood in its old veins, some
industrial projects are to change the whole economic, and, therefore,
social texture of the city, bringing it to the competitive world of the
industrial age, with all its hassles turmoil,... and confusions, the
new car manufacturing project of the (Kerman Automotive Industries
Co.), being the most notable of all these projects.
But Bam is known all through the world for a different aspect of it:
Arg-e-Bam or the ancient citadel and the ruins of the ancient town
surrounding it. This is one of the most splendid historical sites in
the whole world: while most of the best known historical sites in the
world, like Fars (Persepolis, Athen`s Acropolis, Rome`s forum and
Coliseum, Paris` Versailles,... signify a limited period in history,
Arg-e-Bam displays the imprints of 2000 continuous years of a dramatic,
eventful history from its foundation, presumably during the Parathion
period (250 BC - 224 AC), up until about 150 years ago when in the
reign of Nasser-a-Din Shah Qajar (1831-1896, king 1548-1896) the
ancient town was gradually deserted. This peculiarity has made
estimation of the precise age of most parts of this historical complex
rather difficult, sometimes even impossible.
The legends have it that the city was founded by Bahman, the son of
Esfandiar, one of the legendary kings in the Esfahnameh, corresponded
to Ardashir the Long Armed (Artaxerexes Longimanus, 429 BC, king
464-424) son of Xerexes I, the Achamenide King-of-Kings. However, most
of the historians refer to the story of (Haftvad) in the Shahnameh, or
(Haptanbad) in the Karnamak-e-Ardashir-e-Papkan, a historically true
story, as the story, and the date, of the foundation of Bam. If so,
this date goes back to the late, or mid, Parathion period although a
thorough scientific and archeological inspection of the site is still
needed. There are some signs and indications like some Parathion coins
found here - which make it a safe guess to assume that the nucleus part
of the town and the citadel belonged to the Parthian period in its
original form.
Judging from the story of Haftvad` and also by comparing the ruins of
Ghal-e-Do (the Maiden Fortress) to the north of Arg, and the original
structure of the citadel, with the Parthian town model (like the ruins
of Parthaunisa in Turkmenistan), it is obvious that originally the town
and the residential quarters for the common people were located couple
of miles to the west of the Arg, in the place of today`s
Koozeran-corresponding the Kojaran of the Shahnameh and the adjacent
Dehshotor quarters, while the residence of the governing prince was in
the Ghal-e-Dokhtar, where, according to the Parthian- and maybe
Achamenide-model, it was also the temple for the official court
religion. There is an ornamental figure carved on the wall of an altar
on the eastern side of Ghal-e-Dokhtarl which resembles very much to a
similar figure on the altar of another very important, hut, alas, a
very little known site about 2 Km to the east of the Arg, known as
(Char Taghi`. As the story goes, after Haftvad rebelled against the
governing prince and killed him, he made a citadel and a fortress on a
rock-hill to the west of the town, corresponding to the present site of
the Arg. After Haftvad was defeated and killed by Ardashir, the
victorious king destroyed the main citadel in the fortress and built a
fire-temple in it instead, which, it is believed, was turned into the
existing main observation tower and the Char-Fasl building in the
Islamic period.
In any event, 2000 years of history, with all its ups and downs, with
all its wars, internal strives, periods of peace, of calm, of blooming,
of blood, of destructions, of developments, of massacres,.., have left
their imprints on this site of history which cries out the transient
nature of (being) and the external essence of the universe. Walking
through the ruins of the Arg, one feels as if every broken wall, every
pass-way where people of centuries have walked through, where horses of
history have run through, every little stone, every molecule of earth,
recites along with Khayyam:
Think, in this battered Carvanserai Whose Doorways are alternate Night
and Day How Sultan after Sultan with his romp Abode his Hour or two,
and went his way
The ruins of the Arg as a whole are so interesting, remarkable and mind
arousing that it takes more than one visit to absorb and to appreciate
the historical significance of the details. An attempt to introduce
different parts of the Arg would require a huge volume. However, as
Mulffna says, (if the whole sea can`t be taken in, one may drink as
much as his thirst would allow.`; so, here`s some very brief
descriptions of` some of the more interesting parts:
1- The main (southern) gate:
This is the only remaining gate of at least four gates.
2- The Bazaar or the main market place:
Right after passing through the gate you enter a pass-way about 60
meters long which used to be the main bazaar of the town. Presumably
built in the Safavid period, it had been a roofed bazaar, built, as it
was the usual practice in the Safavid period, on a predrawn plan
provided by the government. This bazaar, which apparently was active up
until early 14th cent. A.H. (early 20Lh cent. A.D.), had replaced some
other ancient bazaars of the town, like the (Pol-e-Gargan), which
Moghadassi (late 4th cent. AH, 10th cent. AD) has mentioned in
Ahsan-al-Taghasim, but its whereabouts are obscure now. It is
noteworthy that Bam was a male commercial and trading town on the
famous (Spice Road), a major tributary of the (Silk Road), connecting
India, the Indian Ocean, the Omman - or the Arabian-sea, and the
Persian Gulf to that main road of wealth of wealth and trade in the
middle Ages. Bam was also a major center of textile industry in those
days, known for its differnt fine fabrics all through the Islamic world.
3- The Grand Mosque, which was originally built in the Saffari period,
3rd. cent. AH (9th cent. AD), according to Prof. Pope, has gone through
major changes in different periods.
4- The Stables and the Garrison or the Armory, both presumably built in
the Saljouq or the Timurid period (6th or 8th cent. AH, 13th or 15th
cent. AD).
5- The governor`s quarters and the Chahar-Fasl (Four Seasons) Building,
and also the main observation tower, presumably belonging to the
Safavid period (early 10th cent, mid 12th cent. AH, early 16th cent.,
mid 18th cent. AD) in their present forms. It is thought that the
Chahar-Fasl and the main observation tower were originally a
fire-temple of the pre-Islamic period.
These were some very fragmentary notes on just some of the more
important parts of the Arg; as I said a rightful introduction of
different parts of the Arg, even a thorough introduction of only the
parts mentioned, would require a huge volume, as huge as the history
itself, for this, the Arg, is the history itself. Let us just watch,
and pass very gently by these ruins, because every spot that you put
your foot on, there may lie a king, a swordsman, an old sage, a lover,
a mother... Be careful, beware
Rumeli Hisari near (nowadays in) Istanbul, built by Mehmed II control the strait before the siege of Constantinople. A.k.a. 'throat-cutter' as the word 'throat' is same with the word 'strait' in Turkish. It is an ugly pile of stone, but nevertheless amazing, because it was built in just FOUR months. It is alleged that the sultan assigned a tower to each of his viziers and said, 'if you don't finish it on time, you are history'...
On the other side of the strait is the Anadolu hisari, smaller and built earlier for the same purpose.
Here seen behind some handsome yalis (seaside mansions).
So when someone tried to send help to the besieged Constantinople from the Black Sea, the ship had to pass between these two fortresses. AFAIK, some did try and some were sunk by cannon fire.
Fortifications of Constantinople itself were more formidable, and can be seen in another thread.
I read somewhere that the view from the top of Rumelihisari is like the word "Mehmed" in the Ottoman script. I think it looks so except the wall at the bottom of the pic and that wall might have been modified through centuries...
The construction of the castle was begun in 1247 by king Bla IV. It was one of the several stone-fortification built after the mongol invasion in order to prepare the next attack. Bla IV. even sold the the family jewels of his wife Mary Lascaris to fund the building operations.
This castle became the royal seat under the Angevins and the Holy Crown was kept here until the battle of Mohcs. (In a brief period under Louis the Great the crown of Poland was also kept here.) In 1335 this was the place where the summit of the king of Bohemia, Hungary and Poland was held. (This summit gave the name to the modern Visegrad group or V4). Later It served as an Ottoman border fortress and was recaptured in 1686. AFter this the castle lost its military role and was abandoned. The reconstruction has begun in 1871.
The picture showes the upper castle, the citadell.
The Lower Castle is at the Danube with the donjon (Solomon's Tower).
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