Kale-i Bala Castle

Kale-i Bala Castle, locally known as just Kale-i Bala, lies in the hamlet of Yazlık Köyü, in the province of Rize in Turkey.

The castle is thought to have been built during the 14th, or the beginning of the 15th century. In that time this mountainous area was maybe nominally Byzantine territory, but in reality the Byzantines probably only controlled the coast. The mountains and canyons inland were the land of the Lord Arhakel of the Hemshin people, and they probably were quite autonomous. In the canyon of the Fırtına River, it was probably them who built the castles of Kale-i-Bala and Zil. Through the canyon ran a trade route leading up to a mountain pass in the direction of Erzurum.

Kale-i-Bala Castle was built on a rocky outcrop in the upper reaches of the canyon, at a height of some 1,800 meters above sea level. Zil Castle is situated lower down into the canyon. Therefore, Kale-i-Bala is now sometimes also called Yukarı Kale (Upper Castle) and Zil, Aşağı Kale (Lower Castle). Kale-i-Bala is a modern name. In medieval times, the castle was called Varoş Castle.

In the late 15th century, the region was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, after which the castle was taken into use by the Ottomans themselves. During the 16th century, it was still garrisoned by some 25 to 40 soldiers.

Kale-i Bala Castle is freely accessible. The ruin of the castle itself is not very large or interesting, but the surroundings certainly are. A visit will take a long winding dead-end drive through the canyon, alongside the whitewater river, passing by Zil Castle and multiple medieval Ottoman single-arch stone bridges. All-in-all: recommended!

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