Şeytan Castle

Şeytan Castle
Çıldır, Ardahan Province

Type	Fortress
Site history
Built by	Urartu

Şeytan Castle (Turkish: Şeytan Kalesi, Georgian: ქაჯის ციხე) is a castle in the Çıldır district of the Ardahan Province in Turkey.

While there is no certain evidence regarding the castle's builders, it can be inferred, by comparison with the architecture of other castles in the area, that the castle was built by the Urartians. Ekvtime Takaishvili reported the existence of a prison in the castle. It is mentioned in the chronicles of Alp Arslan in 1064.^[1]

The castle is located 1.5 kilometers northeast of the village of Yıldırımtepe. The cliffs surrounding the castle were as important to its protection as its walls. The castle was used continuously from the Hellenistic era to the Ottoman period, and was renovated or modified by each of its occupiers. It hosts cisterns, a staircase that descends to the water and a chapel.^[2]^[3]

The name of the castle, meaning "the Devil's castle", originates from the myth that an evil spirit or a devil was sighted in the area in the past, which still survives as a superstition among the area's inhabitants.^[4]

References

↑ Solmaz, Gürsoy. Ortaçağ'da Erzurum-Kars kaleleri, 2000, Atatürk University, p. 34
↑ "Ardahan Kaleleri". canardahan.tr.gg. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
↑ Şeytan Kalesi define avcılarının istilasında (Zaman)
↑ IV. Milletlerarası Türk Halk Kültürü Kongresi bildirileri, Volume 4, Turkish Ministry of Culture, 1992, p. 150

Castles in Turkey

Afyonkarahisar Castle Alanya Castle Alara Castle Amasya Castle Anadoluhisarı Anavarza Castle Ankara Castle Ayas Castle Bagras Castle Birecik Castle Bodrum Castle Bodrumkale Castle Bolaman Castle Boyabat Castle Bozcaada Castle Cemilli Castle Çandır Castle Çeşme Castle Dağlı Castle Diyarbakır Fortress Gaziantep Castle Gözne Castle Hebilli Castle Hemite Castle Hisarın Castle Hoşap Castle Kadifekale Kahramanmaraş Castle Kaleköy Castle Kalepark Karaman Castle Kars Castle Kastamonu Castle Kayseri Castle Kevgürk Castle Kızkalesi Kızlar Kalesi Kol Kalesi Koz Castle Kozan Castle Mamure Castle Mancınık Castle Marmaris Castle Meydan Castle Meydancık Castle Mut Castle Namrun Castle Pertek Castle Riva Castle Rize Castle Rumelihisari Rumkale Samsun Castle Savaşır Castle Servantikar Silifke Castle Sinap Castle Softa Castle Şanlıurfa Castle Şeytan Castle Şile Castle Tece Castle Tokat Castle Tokmar Castle Toprakkale Trabzon Castle Trapessac Yaka Castle Van Castle Yelbiz Castle Yeniyurt Castle Yılankale Yoros Castle Zilkale

Also See: Castles in Turkey

Coordinates: 41°09′15″N 43°07′53″E / 41.1541°N 43.1313°E / 41.1541; 43.1313

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