132 Items
Chakvinja Castle
Chakvinja castle is the well preserved citadel of a larger but poorly preserved fortified enclosure. These images are primarily of the citadel but there are some of a tower found below the citadel in the modern cemetery.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C16th-C18th, C4th-C6th, Citadel, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Georgia, Georgian
Ancyra Castle/Ankara Kale
The very large defences of Ankara incorporate many architectural pieces (spolia) taken from the remains of the ancient city. Ancyra, as it was known in Roman times, was a very important city in central Anatolia and as a result was embellished with many fine and impressive buildings. In late antiquity, the city and empire became increasingly under threat and the Castle/Kale was built much to the same plan as we see today. The need to build the defences quickly and cheaply led to the looting of nearby buildings for their stone, hence the unusual mixture of stonework readily visible in the walls.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Byzantine, Citadel, Fortifications, Medieval, Roman, Spolia, Turkey
Egil
Egil is identified as Carcathiocerta, the former capital of the ancient Armenian kingdom of Sophene. The most impressive remains are on the citadel which lies high above the river Tigris on a plateau formed by the river.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Armenian, Byzantine, Citadel, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Late Antique, Roman, Turkey
Mardin Citadel
With commanding views of the Mesopotamian plain to the south the development of this large rock outcrop into a military site seems obvious. So much so that it is still occupied as a base of the Turkish Commandos and is therefore off limits to the public.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Citadel, Defensive Network, Fortifications, Medieval, Turkey
Views of the first day on site
These pictures were taken by a student on the first morning of excavations at Zalabiyeh as the trenches were marked out and work began.
Type: Archaeological Excavation
Tags: Archaeological Excavation, Archaeology, Castle, Citadel, Euphrates, Fortifications, Fortress, Syria, Zalabiyeh
Qalat Ibn Maan
Qalat Ibn Maan is the medieval castle that sits on the hill to the west of the ancient city of Palmyra. It is thought to date to the C13th and, although occupying an impressive defensive position its construction of rough fieldstone means that the walls would not have been able to withstand a heavy bombardment.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, C13th, Castle, Citadel, Fortress, Palmyra, Qalat Ibn Maan, Syria, Tadmor
General views of Zalabiyeh and the surrounding landscape
These images were taken on a first survey visit to the site on 9th April 2010 and show the extent of the extant remains, evidence of looting and views over the river in the direction of Halabiyeh.
Type: Archaeological Excavation
Tags: Citadel, Deir ez Zor, Euphrates, Fortifications, Fortress, Halabiyeh, Landscape, Late Antique, Syria, Zalabiyeh
Fortifications, Zalabiyeh
The fortification of Zalabiyeh is recorded by Procopius who attributes the building of the defences to Justinian's reign. As with much of Procopius' testimony this claim must not be accepted out of hand. The remains of the defences show evidence of at least two major phases of building. The oldest phase is composed of ashlar faced walls with a rubble and concrete core, the later phase is made up of ashlars throughout. The later phase appears to have been only present in some of the towers and is certainly part of a renovation of the defences where some of the older towers needing replacing. These two different wall building techniques are mirrored across the river at the fortifications of Halabiyeh, Zalabiyeh's sister site. I have proposed that the site was not originally fortified by Justinian but was rather repaired during his reign and had older origins, potentially during the reign of Anastasius.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Anastasius, Citadel, Defensive Network, Deir ez Zor, Euphrates, Fortifications, Fortress, Halabiyeh, Justinian, Late Antique, Procopius, Syria, Zalabiyeh
Syro-British Mission to Deir Ez Zor, Salvage Excavation of the Citadel of Zalabiyeh on the Euphrates. Preliminary Report of the First Campaign (2010)
An internal report submitted to the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) in Damascus and to project sponsors.
Type: Text
Tags: Citadel, Deir ez Zor, Euphrates, Excavation, Fortifications, Fortress, Halabiyeh, Late Antique, Syria, Zalabiyeh
Bosra Theatre
The Roman theatre at Bosra is often cited as being one of the best preserved Roman theatres in the world. It was fortified and used as a citadel in the Islamic era and retained this defensive function with local people living inside the structure until they were evicted under the French Mandate in the 1920s. Today part of the building houses a mosaic museum and the theatre is still used for concerts and cultural events.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Basalt, Bosra, Citadel, Early Islamic, Mosaic, Roman, Syria, Theatre