Kütahya Kalesi (Fortress of Kütahya)

(catch-up Post)

Thursday, 11 October (Part IV)

All but one of the places mom and I visited today were easily negotiated on foot.  Not so Kütahya Kalesi, the citadel that sits high atop a hill overlooking the city.  Hopping in a cab from the taxi stand at Dönenler Meydanı (Square of the Whirlers), we made the short trip up to the fortress.  With the driver’s business card in hand, we sent him on his way after he dropped us off in the parking lot outside the walls of the citadel.  (10TL [$6.50] each way; payable after the cab returned us to the city.)

The fortress sits atop a hill that was known as Cotiaeum during the Phyrigian and Roman periods.

Except for a couple of lovebirds seeking a place away from prying eyes, we had the fortress to ourselves.  At first we thought we might grab a couple of sandwiches from the café on the grounds and have lunch at one of the picnic tables. After looking at the limited menu, however, we decided to just explore the ruins of the fortress and have lunch back in town.

The citadel is believed to have undergone four phases of construction between the 9th and 15th centuries.  Signage outside the upper gate provided not only a schematic of the fortress, but a summary of each phase.  (Most of what I am sharing here is taken from the signage.)

The various periods of construction are color-coded on the schematic.

A few of the 84 towers that lined the walls of the fortress during its heyday.

Historians and archaeologists believe that the first phase of the construction dates back to the Byzantines in the 9th century … to the period following the Arab invasions of Asia Minor, as Turkey was known back then.  The walls from this period were built with material re-used from Roman and early Christian buildings, topped by brick.

Following a survey undertaken in 1982, some of the 2nd phase towers have been reconstructed.

The next phase of construction has been dated back to the 12th century, and is believed to have taken place following the Malazgirt Savaşı (Battle of Manzikert) of 1071.  At this time, a series of u-shaped towers were built to support the weight of heavy catapults, and a lower outer wall was added to the defenses.

these walls are part of the outer fortifications built during the 3rd/4th  phases.

The highest portion of the citadel, the inner fortress, was built when Kütahya was the capital of the Germiyan Beğliği (Germiyan Princes).  Dating back to the 14th century, this third phase of construction also saw the addition of a barbican outside the lower gate.  

The ruins of the inner walls of the upper fortress; much of these walls are in this condition.

The fourth phase, as reported by Evliya Çelebi (the traveler), was undertaken during the 15th century on the orders of Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Mehmet the Conqueror).  Existing walls were raised and strengthened and new walls were added to the Upper Fortress at this time.  As well, the Lower Fortress walls were completely rebuilt, making them thicker, and solid towers were added to strengthen the fortifications.

Glimpses through the outer walls of the Upper Fortress.

While there might not be much to see of the fortress itself, the views of the city from this hilltop position made our visit worthwhile.  That we had a clear day added to our pleasure in the vistas ranging far into the distance.

A panorama like the one we enjoyed is best shared in a video … forgive my amateurish attempt.

22-seconds from the Upper Fortress.

Our exploration of the citadel complete, we walked a short ways down the paved road to capture some exterior shots of the line of towers leading down the hillside.  I shared one of those shots as the first picture in this post; I’ll wrap up with a closer look at the u-shaped towers.

Could have walked down to the city via the path through the trees … I think;
but we didn’t attempt it.

If you look closely at the picture above, amidst the trees you’ll see a path that I think leads down to the Lower Fortress. It might have been an interesting hike to undertake, but neither mom nor I had suitable footwear, so we decided not to attempt the descent into the city on foot.  Instead, we called the cabbie who had brought us up to the fortress to come and pick us up.

While we waited for our ride — 20 minutes, if that long — we wandered into the cemetery across the road from the fortress.

Considering its proximity to the citadel, we were expecting it to at least date back to the 15th century, if not earlier.  It turns out that wasn’t the case.  And to boot, even though some of them dated to 2012, the graves were in rather a shambles.

Still, the view on the other side — and I don’t mean “that other side” — was quite expansive.

The ride down the hill to the taxi stand in the square didn’t take long.  I had hoped to find a spot somewhere along the route to take a photo of the fortress from the bottom up, but there were no clear views to be had — at least not without wandering into the neighborhood streets.  We still had plenty of sightseeing to do, anyway, so we paid our cab driver, got a recommendation for a place to grab a bite to eat, and after getting some sustenance, continued on to the three museums that were on our list for the afternoon.