Bash Tapia Castle, (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: باشطابيا) also known as Bashtabiya Castle or Pashtabia Castle, is a ruined 12th-century castle located on the western bank of the

Tigris The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...

river, forming part of the city wall of

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, Iraq. It was partially destroyed by the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

(ISIL) in April 2015.

History

Bash Tapia Castle was built in the 12th century as one of seven castles within Mosul's city wall. The castle was damaged by

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

in 1393, and was later rebuilt by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Bash Tapia Castle played an important role in the siege of Mosul during the Ottoman–Persian War of 1743–1746. The siege began on 14 September 1743 when the Shah of Persia, Nader Shah, arrived in city. The Pasha of Mosul, Hajji Hossein Al Jalili, successfully defended the city, and the siege was lifted on 23 October of the same year. The ruins of the castle were an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

, and were also significant as being one of the few surviving parts of Mosul's walls. The castle was a landmark and a symbol of Mosul's identity, and it was popular with tourists from other parts of Iraq and neighbouring countries. It became neglected after the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Destruction

The city of Mosul was captured by the

on 10 June 2014, and Bash Tapia Castle was damaged in the subsequent fighting. A

missile In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocke ...

fell near the castle on 10 July and damaged its walls, while a

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

fired two shells on it on 23 July. According to reports by the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism, the castle was blown up by ISIL in April 2015, making it one of many heritage sites destroyed by that group. Photos released by ISIL in 2016 show that parts of the castle remain intact. The remains of the castle were recaptured by the Iraqi Army in June 2017.

References

{{Castles in Iraq Mosul Ruined castles Castles in Iraq Archaeological sites in Iraq Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Buildings and structures demolished in 2015 Buildings and structures destroyed by ISIL Ottoman fortifications