Çorlu Castle

Çorlu Castle, locally known as Çorlu Kalesi, lies on a hill in the town of the same name, in the province of Tekirdağ in Turkey.

Çorlu Castle was built on a ridge between 2 dry riverbeds. It is said the Romans were the first to fortify this site, to control a nearby road through the region. The town is mentioned as 'Syrallo' on the Peutinger Map. The present castle remains, however, were built by the Byzantine Empire, probably during the 6th century to protect the area against Muslim raids.

In 1360 the castle was taken by the Ottoman Sultan Murad I. Shortly after his death, during the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Çorlu Castle was taken back by Byzantine forces. Murad's successor; his son Bayezid I, then quickly regained control over the castle. Subsequently Bayezid had the castle demolished to prevent it being used by the Byzantines ever again.

Çorlu Castle probably had a rectangular layout with round corner towers. At present only parts of the western wall of the castle survive and a portion of some kind of structure at the foot of the hill at the southwest. Apparently more had survived until the start of the 19th century but this has disappeared.

At present the site of Çorlu Castle is freely accessible. It is not a very nice site; the castle terrain is being used as a dump and the neighborhood directly below the castle is being described as poor and dangerous. A sad situation.

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