Ankara Castle

Ankara Castle (Turkish: Ankara Kalesi) is a historic fortification in the city of Ankara, Turkey, constructed in or after the 7th century. The earliest fortification on the site was constructed in the 8th century BC by the Phrygians and rebuilt in 278 BC by the Galatians. The castle was rebuilt or renovated under the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman Empires.

Ankara Castle

Panoramic view of Ankara Castle
Location within Ankara Show map of Ankara Ankara Castle (Turkey) Show map of Turkey
Established	8th century BC
Location	Altındağ, Ankara, Turkey
Coordinates	39°56′30″N 32°51′54″E
Type	Castle
Owner	Phrygia (8th century BC) Galatia (278 BC) Roman Empire (25 BC) Byzantine Empire (4th century) Seljuq Turks (1071) Ottoman Empire (1356) Turkey (1923)
Website	www.ankarakalesi.com

History and architecture

The castle is composed of an inner line of walls with closely spaced towers that encloses an area of about 350 m by 150 m, and an outer line of walls with towers some 40 m apart. Both sets of walls were constructed using large quantities of reused masonry. The exact dates of their construction are uncertain, but both postdate the capture and destruction of Ankara by the Persians in, probably, 622 AD (Foss considers that the inner walls may date from the reign of Constans II; the outer walls are generally believed to have been erected slightly later.).^[1]

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  Aerial view of Kale (Altındağ) and the Citadel
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  The clock tower and the main gate
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  Dungeon Tower
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  Ankara Castle Eastern Castle
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  Ak Kale
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  Sultan Alaeddin Mosque
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  View of the Castle from the Hacı Bayram Mosque Park

See also

• History of Ankara

References

1. Clive Foss, Late Antique and Byzantine Ankara in Dumbarton Oaks Papers Vol. 31 (1977), pp. 70-72.

External links

• Ankara Castle (in Turkish)
• 150+ pictures of citadel and views around it
• Municipality of Ankara