Cincin Castle

Cincin Castle, locally known as Cincin Kalesi, lies in the village of the same name, southwest of the city of Aydιn, in the province of Aydιn in Turkey.

In 1522 Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, passed through this area with his army returning from his siege of Rhodes. At that time the area was inhabited by a local Turkish tribe of some 250 people. Having received their hospitality, Suleiman gave them the permission to build a fortification here. The tribe's leader Mehmet Bey, who had joined Suleiman in the siege, fathered a boy here, which was given the name Cihan. His descendants later became known as Cihanoğlu (which translates to son of Cihan). The present remains are from a castle built by Abdul Aziz Cihanoğlu in the 18th century, probably incorporating earlier structures, to provide security and economic control of the area.

I suspect that use of the site dates back to much earlier times because I saw a couple of marble pillars and slabs lying around on the upper terrace.

Cincin Castle at present consists of a terraced mound with some nice buttressed walls. On the upper terrace now stands the village school. The local teacher told me that after the end of this school year, the school would be torn down and archaeological excavations would start in 2016. At the moment it is freely accessible.

The Cihanoğlu family is also connected to nearby Cihanoğlu Tower.

Gallery