Sarıkavak Castle

Sarıkavak Castle, locally known as Sarıkavak Kalesi, lies west of the village of Hasanlı, in the province of Istanbul in Turkey.

I was not able to find any historical information about the castle, other than that it was built by the Byzantines. Sarıkavak Castle probably served to control a nearby route between Şile and Gebze and a ford through a tributary of the Yeşildere stream, which runs north and east of the castle hill.

The castle was built on a steep hill, dominating its surroundings. It has a somewhat kidney-shaped plan. Substantial remains of 3 towers are still standing, together with several wall parts. I suspect the original entrance was directly next to the southern tower, in the east wall. At present the hill is forested and the castle remains very overgrown. So much so, that you can only see the remains when standing next to them.

Sarıkavak Castle is freely accessible. However, getting there will require quite some time hiking as it is fairly off the beaten path with no modern roads nearby. Again, be careful to not tread on any wild turtles wandering the site.

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