Babakale Castle ( tr, Babakale Kalesi, ota, Hırzü’l-Bahr) is an 18th-century fortification at Babakale, Ayvacık, the westernmost point of mainland Turkey. It was built during the Ottoman era.

Geography and history

Babakale Castle is situated on a hill at

Cape Baba Cape Baba ( tr, Baba Burnu) or Cape Lecton ( grc, Λεκτόν), is the westernmost point of the Turkish mainland, making it the westernmost point of Asia. It is located at the village of Babakale ("Father Castle"), Ayvacık, Çanakkale, in the his ...

, the westernmost point of mainland Turkey, in Babakale, Ayvacık in

Çanakkale Province Çanakkale Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country. It takes its name from the city of Çanakkale. Like Istanbul, Çanakkale province has a European (Thrace) and an Asian (Anatolia) part. The E ...

. The castle takes its name from the cape. The castle was built to protect the location from pirates. According to the inscription found above the main gate, it was constructed during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed III by

Kapudan Pasha The Kapudan Pasha ( ota, قپودان پاشا, modern Turkish: ), was the Grand Admiral of the navy of the Ottoman Empire. He was also known as the ( ota, قپودان دریا, links=no, modern: , "Captain of the Sea"). Typically, he was bas ...

(

Grand admiral Grand admiral is a historic naval rank, the highest rank in the several European navies that used it. It is best known for its use in Germany as . A comparable rank in modern navies is that of admiral of the fleet. Grand admirals in individual n ...

) Kaymak Mustafa Pasha between AH 1135–1141 (1722–1729 CE). Inside the castle, there was a mosque, a

Turkish bath A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, a fountain and some other buildings, which were constructed at the same time. The castle and the adjacent port were important for the anchorage and supply of the Ottoman Navy. The fountain, for which water was brought from away, supplied water for the

naval fleet A fleet or naval fleet is a large formation of warships – the largest formation in any navy – controlled by one leader. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land. Purpose In the modern sense, fleets are usually, but not ne ...

before it set sail on campaigns.

Architecture

The castle has a rectangular plan with dimensions of approx. having a

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

on each corner. It is oriented northwest to southeast with the seashore to the southwest. The watchtowers on the landward side have a

hexagonal prism In geometry, the hexagonal prism is a prism with hexagonal base. Prisms are polyhedrons; this polyhedron has 8 faces, 18 edges, and 12 vertices.. Since it has 8 faces, it is an octahedron. However, the term ''octahedron'' is primarily used ...

form while the watchtowers overlooking the sea are much larger and are in the form of

pentagonal prism In geometry, the pentagonal prism is a prism with a pentagonal base. It is a type of heptahedron with seven faces, fifteen edges, and ten vertices. As a semiregular (or uniform) polyhedron If faces are all regular, the pentagonal prism is ...

s. The main gate, which has a marble inscription above it, is situated in the middle of the north-eastern curtain wall. An L-shaped

pincer gate A pincer gate (german: Zangentor) is a gate in a fortification that is deeply embedded between two inward angled exterior walls. Those wishing to enter the fort have to approach what is in effect a sunken road and, if hostile, can be attacked fro ...

in a covered structure behind the

pointed arch A pointed arch, ogival arch, or Gothic arch is an arch with a pointed crown, whose two curving sides meet at a relatively sharp angle at the top of the arch. This architectural element was particularly important in Gothic architecture. The earlie ...

gate leads to the castle's interior courtyard. The pincer gate features one large barrel vaulted

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

at each side and above where guards would have been located. The gate opens to the castle's interior through a wide, tall, semi-circular arched

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

. A finial relief is found on the keystone of the inner portal. A small additional hidden opening is situated next to the watchtower on the south-eastern curtain wall. The

battlements A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

are reached by a ramp in the southern corner. Access to the four watchtowers is through the battlements. The

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

s between the

merlon A merlon is the solid upright section of a battlement (a crenellated parapet) in medieval architecture or fortifications.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 202. Merlons are sometimes ...

s of the watchtower battlements were constructed at an angle that widens outwards making it suitable for firing cannons. Inside the castle, to the left of the entrance and adjacent to the north-eastern wall, there is a pointed arch fountain with a water reservoir. A second fountain has been added next it. Only the traces of the foundations of the mosque and the Turkish bath are visible today, but the remains of stone

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

and brick shoes have survived from the mosque's minaret, which was situated on the castle wall.

Today

The castle hosted international festivals in conjunction with

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...

in Greece in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Due to excavations carried out in 2001, no later events could be held. It was suggested that the 27 houses, which existed inside the castle in the past, would be rebuilt for tourism purposes on the foundation unearthed during the excavations.

Gallery

File:Babakale Castle 1.jpg, File:Babakale Castle 2.jpg, File:Babakale Castle 3.jpg, File:Babakale Castle 4.jpg, File:Babakale Castle 5.jpg, File:Babakale Castle 6.jpg, File:Babakale Castle7.jpg,

References

{{Castles in Turkey Castles in Turkey Buildings and structures in Çanakkale Province Buildings and structures completed in the 1720s Coastal fortifications