Keçi Castle

Keçi Castle, locally known as Keçi Kalesi, lies east of the village of Kale, in the province of Gümüşhane in Turkey.

The Turkish name Keçi Kalesi translates back to Goat Castle, probably referring to its mountainous location. The castle is also known in literature as Kovans.

The castle is situated on a rocky spur, towering some 250 meters above the road leading to Bayburt. On the south face of the mountain are also ruined fortifications. The castle probably served as a toll station on an old trade route between Trabzon and Bayburt and would have been garrisoned by a detachment of light cavalry.

There is no known history about the castle. Based on its building techniques it is thought that the lower fortification is Byzantine in origin. The upper castle was probably built during the existence of the Empire of Trebizond, so somewhere between the early 13th century and the mid-15th century. The vaulted chambers and the west tower are certainly of a later date. They may even belong to the Russian invasion and occupation of the area in 1829, after which the inconveniences of the site must have been so apparent that it was abandoned.

The castle ruin was consolidated in 2007.

Keçi Castle can freely be visited. You can almost reach it by car over a dirt road. The last 10 minutes you have to walk a steep path. A spectacularly situated castle, I loved it.

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