Publication Date
Year 866/1463
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;20;ar
Library Location
Kilid al-Bahr, Isiyabat, Canakal, Türkiye
Date
Year 866/1463
Notes
Shortly after Sultan Mehmed II conquered Istanbul and was determined to control the Dardanelles, he built two fortresses at the narrowest point of the strait: one on the Anatolia side and the other on the European side. The Sultan's Fortress, or Al-Jimnlek, was built first from the side of Anatolia, and was followed by the Qild Al-Bahr Fort, which was built on the European side by order of Sultan Mehmed II. Because of its location, it was called the Qild Al-Bahr Fort, which means 'lock of the sea' in Turkish. The design style earned it a special place among Turkish fortresses. The village of Qilid al-Bahr, located behind the fort, was named after him. The Qilid al-Bahr Fort occupies a rectangular area of approximately 220 x 120 m. It consists of two external castles (one in the north and the other in the south), and an internal castle with a central tower. The northern outer citadel was built first, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II, and is surrounded by walls up to 4 m high. However, the part of the wall that was parallel to the beach no longer exists. It is known that there were originally large water moats surrounding the outer castle, which were entered through the northern and southern gates, which could only be reached by suspension bridges. These trenches were later filled in and no longer exist. As for the second outer castle, from the south, it was built during the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the year 948 / 1542. There is a building around the tower with a diameter of 21 meters that protrudes from the southeastern side and is covered by a dome. As for the inner castle, located in the center of the northern outer castle, it is in the shape of a clover with three leaves. It is surrounded by walls 7 m thick. This castle consists of three separate courtyards and a seven-storey tower in the centre, its plan is heart-shaped and 30 m high. These courtyards, which are connected to each other through single openings, two of which can be entered through the outer castle, while the courtyard containing the tower cannot be entered from the outer castle. Which constitutes an obstacle for those who want to attack the fort and reach the tower. The seven floors of the tower, as well as the stairs leading to it, were built of wood, but they are all no longer there. Construct a seashell fort from cut, trimmed and untrimmed stone and stone crushers. The fort is considered very distinctive in terms of its architectural style. While its decoration is very simple. As for the main forms of decoration, they consist of sun discs executed in brick at the top of the inner castle walls, and bands of roses and twisted drawings. A sea-studded fortress was built during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II in order to defend the Dardanelles Strait, and it was expanded in AH 948 / AD 1542 during the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, when a second external fortress was added from the south. The fort underwent restoration in 1955-1956 and 1967-1968, and is open today to visitors.
Sample Text
"Fortress of Qalid Al-Bahr" within Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;20;ar
