Çimpe Castle (, ''Cinbi''; , ''Tzympē'') was a medieval fortification on the

Gallipoli peninsula The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

in modern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its site is located along the Istanbul Caddesi between Bolayir and

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

, commanding the narrowest point on the peninsula. Erected by the Byzantines as Tzympe, Çimpe Castle was traditionally held to have fallen in a moonlight attack to Suleyman Pasha and 39 of his chosen guard in 1356. However, modern scholarship holds that it was granted to the

Ottoman Turk The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the entirety of the ...

s by the

Byzantine emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

John Kantakouzenos around 1352 for their use during his war against his erstwhile charge and co-emperor John Palaiologos.Nicolle, David and Hook, Adam.
Ottoman Fortifications 1300-1710
'' Osprey Publishing, 2010. Accessed 3 Sept 2011. A major earthquake in 1354 then permitted Suleyman's forces to move from Çimpe to the far more important stronghold of Kallipolis (

, modern

Gelibolu Gelibolu is a town in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara Region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey. It is located on the southern shore of the Gallipoli, peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, away from Lapsek ...

), which they quickly rebuilt and fortified. Although the medieval castle no longer stands, its position remained important. The same narrow stretch it commanded — the "Lines of Bulair" — was fortified by the French and English during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

; the Turkish X Corps during the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League (the Kingdoms of Kingdom of Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Greece, Greece and Kingdom of Montenegro, Montenegro) agai ...

; and the Turkish 5th Army during the Gallipoli Campaign in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.Masefield, John. ''Gallipoli.''
The Dardanelles Campaign
" Accessed 3 Sept 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cimpe Castle Byzantine fortifications in Turkey History of the Gallipoli Peninsula Buildings and structures in Çanakkale Province

See also

References