Rumkale ( ''Roman Castle''), also known as Urumgala, is a
fortress
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
on the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
, located in the province of
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
and 50 km west of
Şanlıurfa
Urfa, officially known as Şanlıurfa () and in ancient times as Edessa, is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of Şanlıurfa Province. Urfa is situated on a plain about 80 km east of the Euphrates River. Its climate features ext ...
.
Its strategic location was already known to the
Assyrians, although the present structure is largely
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
and
Roman
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 letter ...
in origin. It is said that
John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
, an apostle of Jesus, lived in Rumkale during Roman times. The site was occupied by various Byzantine and Armenian warlords during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
. During the 12th century, it also became the seat of an
Armenian bishop. In 1179, a synod took place in Rumkale, attempting a compromise between the
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
and the
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
. From 1203 to 1293, it served as the residence of the
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...
of the Armenian Church.
["Eastern Churches" by James Darling, London 1850, page 35, paragraph 2] In 1293, it was captured by the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
s of
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
following a protracted siege who then named it ''Qal'at al-Muslimin''.
Access
The fortress, now situated across a peninsula created by the
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
of
Birecik Dam
The Birecik Dam, one of the 21 dams of the Southeastern Anatolia Project of Turkey, is located on the Euphrates River downstream of Atatürk Dam and upstream of Birecik town west of Province of Şanlıurfa in the southeastern region of Turk ...
and within the administrative boundaries of
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...
's Nizip district, is currently accessible by boat either from the neighboring site of
Zeugma or from the town of
Halfeti
Halfeti ( ku, Xelfêtî) is a town and district on the east bank of the river Euphrates in Şanlıurfa Province in Turkey, from the city of Şanlıurfa. Population (2000 census) 33,467 (of which 2,608 were in the town of Halfeti, the majority be ...
. As of March 2017, it was not possible to land at the site; extensive (re)building is underway inside the fortress and on the external walls.
Flooding
Much of the surrounding work of the fortress, along with local villages and farmland, has been flooded; it is not clear how much of the entrance up from the western side remains undamaged by the rising waters.
References
Further reading
*
Reuven Amitai-Preiss
Reuven Amitai ( he, ראובן עמיתי; born August 23, 1955), also Reuven Amitai-Preiss, is an Israeli-American historian and writer, specializing in pre-modern Islamic civilization, especially Syria and Palestine during the time of the Maml ...
(1995), ''Mongols and Mamluks: The Mamluk-Īlkhānid War, 1260-1281'', pp. 179–225. Cambridge University Press, .
* Angus Stewart (2006), 'Hromgla', in Alan V. Murray (ed.), ''The Crusades: An Encyclopaedia'', II, p. 607. ABC-CLIO, Inc.,
{{Castles in Turkey
Buildings and structures in Gaziantep Province
Castles in Turkey
Armenian buildings in Turkey
Nizip District
Armenian churches in Turkey
Christian monasteries in Armenia