Castle of Kars

The Castle of Kars (Turkish: Kars Kalesi, Armenian: Կարսի բերդ) is a former fortification located in Kars, Turkey. It is also known under the name İç Kale ("Central/Inner Castle", "Citadel").

It was first built during the rule of the Armenian Bagratid dynasty and then rebuilt in 1153 by Firuz Akay Commissioned by Sultan Melik Izzeddin Saltuk II. The outer walls surrounding the city were built in the 12th century. The castle, which was destroyed by Timur in 1386, was rebuilt again in 1579 by Lala Mustafa Pasha, who came to Kars ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Murat III.

It is said in the Ottoman sources that the castle was rebuilt with the help of one hundred thousand soldiers and workers. In 1606, the castle was destroyed by the Iranian Shah Abbas I, and in 1616 and in 1636 it was restored twice and new elements were added to it. The castle was badly damaged after the occupation of the Russians after the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878, and partially changed after 40 years of occupation. The walls of the Castle of Kars were made of basalt masonry.

Tekst overgenomen uit “Castle of Kars” op de Engelstalige Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castle of Kars staat op plaats 2.328 van 5.793 in de bekendheidsranglijst van deze atlas en op plaats 42 van de 120 die de atlas in Turkije in kaart brengt. Gebouwd in 1153, en daarmee ouder dan 85% van de gedateerde bouwwerken in de atlas — een van de 303 bouwwerken in de atlas die uit de 12e eeuw stammen. Zie hoe dat zich verhoudt in de kastelenstatistiek.

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