Akçakoca Castle, also known as the Genoese Castle, is a castle built on a cliff located between two bays, 2.5 kilometers west of

Akçakoca Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey, located about 200 km east of Istanbul. It is the seat of Akçakoca District.Düzce Düzce () is a city in northwestern Turkey, the capital city of Düzce Province, the eighty-first Provinces of Turkey, province in the country. It is the seat of Düzce District.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 ...

. To the south of the castle, in the east and west directions, a high tower rises in the middle of the walls and a water cistern exists in the inner courtyard. The bricks and mortar used in the castle show similarities with the bricks and mortar used in other Genoese castles.Akçakoca Ceneviz Kalesi
/ref> The Genoese Castle and its surroundings have survived from the

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

and

Eastern Roman The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

periods. It has been registered as an archaeological and natural site with the decision of the Ankara Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board, and is listed in the

UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritage ...

with the theme "Castles and Walled Settlements on the Genoese Trade Route from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea". As a result of

the Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

was captured by the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

and the

Latin Empire The Latin Empire, also referred to as the Latin Empire of Constantinople, was a feudal Crusader state founded by the leaders of the Fourth Crusade on lands captured from the Byzantine Empire. The Latin Empire was intended to replace the Byzantin ...

was established. The castle was built between 1204 and 1261 by the

Latins The term Latins has been used throughout history to refer to various peoples, ethnicities and religious groups using Latin or the Latin-derived Romance languages, as part of the legacy of the Roman Empire. In the Ancient World, it referred to th ...

, who also dominated the Black Sea coast, or by the Nicea Empire, which ruled in the region in the same period. The historical castle is popularly called the Genoese Castle. It is thought that the castle was built or repaired for commercial purposes. At that time, the city of Diapolis (

Akçakoca Akçakoca is a town in Düzce Province, in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey, located about 200 km east of Istanbul. It is the seat of Akçakoca District.Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

refugees of Turkic origin in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

were settled in the town of Diapolis (Akçakoca) for security purposes. Akçakoca Castle is surrounded by two separate

Blue Flag beaches The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit, non-g ...

to the east and west. One of the beaches, called Yalıyarlar, is known as seal reefs because it contains caves along the coast and attracts attention. The Castle is the most preferred picnic and recreation area of Akçakoca.

References

Castles in Turkey Forts in Turkey Ottoman fortifications Akçakoca District Genoese colonies {{Turkey-castle-stub