Foça Castle
Foça Castle(Turkish:Foça Kalesi), also known asBeşkapılar Castle(Turkish:Beşkapılar Kalesi), is a coastal fortification inİzmir Province,western Turkey.
The castle is located inFoçailçe(district) of İzmir Province at38°40′08″N26°45′03″E/ 38.66889°N 26.75083°E.Its distance toİzmiris about 55 kilometres (34 mi).
The fortification wall around the ancient city ofPhocaeawas built in 590-580 BC. The walls underwent restoration during theByzantine Empireera. The castle was a part of theRepublic of Genoain the 13th century, and it was rebuilt by the Genovese.[1]In the 14th century,OttomanprinceŞehzade Halilwas kidnapped and retained in the castle. The fortification was restored in 1538 by Ottomans after the city was annexed.
The castle stretches over the peninsula.Athenatemple marks the northernmost end and the five gates collectively known as Beşkapılar ( “Five Gates” ) mark the southwestern end. Beşkapılar was used as a boatshed (Turkish:Kayıkhane) during the Ottoman Empire.[2]
In 2020, Foça Castle was included in thelist of World Heritage Sites in Turkey (Tentative list).[3]
References
[edit]- ^İzmir Ministry of Culture page(in Turkish)
- ^Marmara University paper by Victoria Zvyagintseva pg 18
- ^"Foça Kalesi, Unesco Dünya Mirası Geçici Listesine Alındı".Haberler(in Turkish).Retrieved2020-05-07.
