Amasra Fortress or Amasra Castle is located in the

Amasra Amasra (from Greek Amastris Ἄμαστρις, ''gen''. Ἀμάστριδος) is a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey, formerly known as Amastris. The town today is much appreciated for its beaches and natural setting, ...

district of Bartın, on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

coast of

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It was built by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and later restored by the Byzantines, Genoese and Ottomans. It consists of two parts: Sormagir Castle and Zindan Castle. It was added to the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2013. Amasra Fortress consists of two main masses which are connected by a bridge called the Boztepe Arch. The fortress was used extensively during the Genoese period and had serious repairs done in the 14th and 15th centuries. The length of the eastern walls of the fortress between the northeast and southeast is 65 meters, the length of the southern walls with 8 bastions is 300 meters, and the length of the northern walls from the Kemere Bridge, most of which have been destroyed, is 200 meters.Amasra Kalesi - Bartın
/ref> Since the north and northwest of Sormagir Castle descend into the sea in a very steep cliff, no walls were built here. Most of the walls surrounding the east, northeast and west have been destroyed, and a 50-meter part of the west walls adjacent to the gate is still standing. There are tower gaps, interior divisions, and coats of arms of the Genoese placed in certain places on the walls. Figures such as

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the ear ...

Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...

, an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

, and ox head are also still preserved.

Gallery

File:Amasra 189.JPG File:Amasra 193.JPG File:Amasra 81.JPG, Kemere Bridge File:Amasra 83.JPG, Fortress gate File:Houses in Amasra.JPG File:Amasra shore.JPG

References

{{coord, 41.7504, 32.3846, type:landmark_region:TR, display=title Castles in Turkey Forts in Turkey Roman fortifications Genoese colonies Ottoman fortifications Black Sea Amasra Bartın