Şanlıurfa Castle: A Historic Fortress in Modern Turkey

Visitor Information

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Official Website: www.sanliurfa.bel.tr

Country: Turkey

Civilization: Crusader, Roman

Site type: Military

Remains: Castle

History

Şanlıurfa Castle is situated in the municipality of Eyyübiye in modern Turkey and was originally built by the ancient kingdom of Osroene. The fortress stands atop a hill overlooking the city historically known as Edessa, and its history reflects the strategic importance of this location through multiple eras.

The earliest known construction dates back to the 3rd century AD when the city was fortified with surrounding walls. Around 201 AD, King Abgar VIII responded to flooding that affected lower areas by building a winter palace on the castle hill. This palace included grand architectural elements, notably two large Corinthian columns which still stand today and are locally referred to as the “Throne of Nimrod.” During the 4th and 5th centuries, repeated floods prompted further defensive measures. In particular, during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, the Roman governor redirected the nearby Skirtos River to protect the city and reinforced the fortress by integrating it into the city walls and adding moats on the south and west sides.

Through the following centuries, control of the castle shifted among various powers. The Persians, Byzantines, and Muslim forces each held the city at different times. Notably, in 1031, the Byzantine general Georgios Maniakes recaptured the castle and strengthened its defenses. The fortress resisted attacks by the forces of Ibn Waṯṯāb in 1036 and the Seljuk leader Alp Arslan in 1071. In 1083, Philaretos Brachamios took the castle briefly before it passed into the hands of the Armenian ruler Thoros, who expanded the fortress until his assassination in 1098.

Following Thoros’s death, Baldwin of Boulogne, one of the Crusader leaders, assumed control of the castle. The fortress remained under Crusader rule for several decades until 1147 when the Seljuks conquered and destroyed much of Edessa. The Crusaders had made further expansions to the defenses during their tenure. Later, the Seljuk Sultan Ala ad-Din Kai Kobad I destroyed the Crusader donjon, a fortified tower within the castle. Scholars continue to investigate if additional construction or alterations were made by later groups such as the Seljuks, Artuqids, and Mamluks.

Restoration work on Şanlıurfa Castle has been ongoing since the early 21st century. A significant partial collapse of an outer fortification wall occurred in April 2013 following heavy rains, but no injuries were reported. Despite this, the castle remains an important marker of the layered history of Edessa and its many rulers.

Remains

The fortress occupies a roughly rectangular area measuring about 300 meters from east to west and 80 meters from north to south within its internal width, situated on a natural hill rising approximately 30 meters above the surrounding landscape. Its imposing position on a spur of Top Dağı (also known as Nemrud Dağı) overlooks the modern city and lies just south of the ancient sacred pond complex of Balıklıgöl.

Among the most distinctive surviving features are two towering Corinthian columns standing approximately 15 meters high. These columns once belonged to the Syro-Roman winter palace constructed by King Abgar VIII around 201 AD and are locally called the “Throne of Nimrod,” linking the structure to regional legends. These columns remain in their original location, rising above the outer terrace walls of the fortress.

The outer defenses include a well-preserved moat at least 12 meters deep on the southern, mountain-facing side of the castle. This moat represents an extension of earlier defensive trenches established during the time of Emperor Justinian and expanded under the Byzantine general Maniakes. The Crusaders further enlarged this moat to enhance protection against attackers. Such moats would have served as formidable barriers preventing enemy advances on the fortress.

Within the castle’s interior, archaeological evidence documents the former presence of a mosque, although no visible remains survive today. The main medieval gate to the fortress likely corresponds to the modern northern entrance, suggesting continuity in access points. Historical accounts imply there may have been additional gates facing both the city to the north and the countryside to the south and west.

South of the two Corinthian columns lie remnants of walls that once formed the Crusader donjon, a primary defensive tower and stronghold within the castle complex. This structure was demolished by the Seljuk Sultan Ala ad-Din Kai Kobad I following the Seljuk conquest. Today, these wall segments survive as fragments that provide insight into Crusader fortification techniques.

While the outer terrace walls, columns, and moat remain prominent features, the inner buildings of the fortress no longer stand. Ongoing restoration and archaeological efforts aim to preserve what remains and clarify the contributions of subsequent rulers like the Seljuks, Artuqids, and Mamluks, which have yet to be definitively identified. The castle’s location and surviving structures continue to offer a tangible connection to the many historical phases of Edessa from antiquity through the medieval period.