Fortress
Zilkale
🇹🇷 Turkey · 15th century
Zilkale is a medieval castle located in the Fırtına Valley (literally "Storm Valley") within the Pontic Mountains, and is one of the most important historical structures in the Çamlıhemşin district of Rize Province, within the Black Sea Region of Turkey.
The castle is built at an altitude of 1,130 m (3,710 ft), and sits at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Fırtına River (Turkish: Fırtına Deresi) approximately 380 m (1,250 ft) below, running at an elevation of 750 m (2,460 ft) southeast of it.
In the 1st-4th centuries AD it was the capital of the Laz principality of Macron-Henochi. The castle consists of the outer walls, middle walls and the inner castle. There are garrison quarters, and a possible chapel and head tower.
Text adapted from “Zilkale” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Zilkale ranks #1,349 of 7,044 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #30 of the 124 mapped in Turkey. Founded c. 1450, it is older than 47% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 410 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. See how Turkey compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Zilkale?
Zilkale stands in Turkey, at 40.95925°, 40.96298°.
When was Zilkale built?
The atlas dates its founding to c. 1450. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Zilkale?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,349 of 7,044 worldwide, and #30 in Turkey. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Zilkale?
Fortress of Jikha, about 17 km away.
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