Top 10 Castles and Fortresses in Turkey
Turkey is a country of extraordinary fortification diversity. Greek antique city walls, Byzantine citadels, Crusader and Hospitaller castles, Arab frontier fortresses, and Ottoman military architecture overlap on a territory that has been among the most contested in the world since antiquity. From the Aegean to the Euphrates, from Thrace to Lake Van, every epoch left its mark. Find them on the map.
1. Castle of Saint Peter, Bodrum
The Hospitaller Castle of Saint Peter at Bodrum, on the Aegean coast, is the most complete surviving Crusader-Hospitaller fortress in the eastern Aegean. The Order began construction in 1404 using stone stripped from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus — one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The distinctive national towers (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian) represent the different langues of the Order. The castle now houses the Museum of Underwater Archaeology, one of the most significant in the world.
2. Ankara Citadel (Hisar), Ankara
The citadel of Ankara, on the rocky outcrop above the capital, overlays an exceptionally long history: Phrygian, Galatian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman layers. The surviving ring wall with its towers is primarily Byzantine, from the 7th to 9th centuries; the interior is an old quarter of the city. The Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, in the historic grain stores at the foot of the citadel, is one of Turkey's most important archaeological museums.
3. Diyarbakır City Walls, Diyarbakır
The black basalt city walls of Diyarbakır are among the most significant surviving ancient city walls in the world. The 5.5-kilometre circuit with its 82 towers was built primarily in the Roman and Byzantine periods between the 2nd and 6th centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Hevsel Gardens. The walls average twelve metres in height and three to five metres in thickness.
4. Rumeli Hisarı, Istanbul
Rumeli Hisarı, on the European side of the Bosphorus, is an Ottoman fortress that Sultan Mehmed II had built in just four months in 1452 — a year before the conquest of Constantinople — to close the Bosphorus. The three massive towers and the surrounding wall stopped a Genoese ship in 1452 that tried to pass without permission; the ship was boarded and the crew executed. The fortress now serves as an open-air theatre and museum.
5. Yedikule, Istanbul
Yedikule — the Fortress of the Seven Towers — in Istanbul extends the Theodosian land walls with an inner fortress. It served as a treasury and state prison; the Prisoners' Tower is covered with inscriptions left by imprisoned ambassadors and condemned men.
6. Anadolu Kavağı (Yoros Castle), Istanbul
Yoros Castle, on the Asian side of the Bosphorus at Anadolu Kavağı, is a Byzantine and Ottoman ruin at one of the finest viewpoints over the Black Sea entrance. It is accessible by boat on the standard Bosphorus excursion.
7. Sığacık Castle, İzmir
Sığacık (ancient Teos) on the Aegean coast near İzmir has a fully preserved Venetian and Ottoman harbour fortress of the 15th and 16th centuries. The small fishing village inside the walls is one of the most authentic places on the Aegean coast.
8. Marmaris Castle, Marmaris
The castle of Marmaris, on a small rocky outcrop above the harbour, was built on the order of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1522 to secure Marmaris as the forward base for the siege of Rhodes. The castle museum displays underwater finds from the region.
9. Gaziantep Citadel and the Aleppo Connection
Gaziantep Kale, a well-preserved medieval castle complex in southeastern Turkey, is closely related in form to the citadel of Aleppo (now in Syria but historically connected to the Anatolian space). The fortifications of the mid-Euphrates region share a family resemblance. Gaziantep's museum houses an important collection of Hittite and Greco-Roman sculpture.
10. Van Kalesi, Van
Van, on Lake Van in eastern Anatolia, has one of the oldest city fortresses in the world: Urartian fortifications from the 9th century BCE, on a rocky ridge above the lake. The Urartian cuneiform inscriptions cut into the cliffs are still legible. The Museum of Van displays the extraordinary Urartian metalwork.
Planning notes for Turkey
Bodrum, Istanbul, and Diyarbakır have international flight connections. Bodrum Castle is walkable from the harbour. The Istanbul fortresses are reachable by public transport. Diyarbakır is four hours by flight from Istanbul.
Explore on the map
Every Turkish fortress is on the interactive map. The map shows the impressive density along the coasts and trade routes.