Samikale Castle

Samikale Castle, locally known as Samikale Kalesi, lies on a rock in the village with the same name, in the province of Erzurum in Turkey.

I was not able to find any information about Samikale Castle other than that it is supposed to have been built around 1000 B.C., which I find highly unlikely. So, if you know more, please mail me.

When I visited Samikale Castle, I was shown the way by a nice local; Suleyman. He told me that the castle had been very ruinous, but that the present walls were rebuilt at some point, incorporating the original wall parts. Also, there are supposed to have existed tunnels from the castle to the stream down in the valley. There had also been some digging for gold on the castle rock.

Samikale Castle is freely accessible. Although the castle doesn't have any original architectural details, I like its appearance and location in a quiet village.

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