Vahka
| Vahka | ||
|---|---|---|
| Castle type : | Rock castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Construction: | Boss cuboid | |
| Place: | Feke | |
| Geographical location | 37 ° 51 '37 " N , 35 ° 57' 6" E | |
| Height: | 1250 m | |
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Vahka (now Feke ) is a Byzantine and Armenian castle in the Anti-Taurus .
location
The castle is located 10 km northeast of Feke , 60 km north of the city of Kozan in the Turkish province of Adana at an altitude of 1,250 meters. It lies on the right bank of the Göksu , a tributary of the Seyhan . The castle itself lies on a rock spur of approx. 187 x 30 m, which protrudes steeply from the surroundings. The plan of the castle follows the irregular topography of the rock.
Gasdaghôn , the burial place of the Rubenids , is said to have been near Vahka.
Research history
The traveler FX Schaffer published a brief description of the castle in 1903. A historical study was carried out in 1960 by JG Dunbar and WWM Boal with the support of the British Institute in Ankara as well as the University of Edinburgh and the Carnegie Trust .
history
The Byzantine fortress was conquered at the end of the 11th century by Constantine I Lord of the Mountains (1092–1100), son of Ruben , and remained the most important seat of the Rubenids until the coronation of Levon II in Tarsus .
In 1137 Vahka was besieged by the Byzantine emperor Johannes Komnenos during the recapture of Cilicia . The fate of the castle was decided by a duel between Constantine, the leader of the Armenian guard, and a Byzantine officer. After the defeat of Constantine, the castle was surrendered, Lewon and his sons Toros and Lewon were soon captured (Niketas Choniates, Chronika, chapter 6).
In 1275 the Patriarch of Sis fled to the castle during a Mameluk campaign against Lesser Armenia . When exactly it fell to the Mameluks is unknown.
investment
The outer walls of the castle consist of regular embossed masonry. Numerous round towers secure the walls.
The entrance is in the southwest, at the lowest end of the castle rock. It is protected by two gatehouses, of which the outer one is still 11 m high, but was originally two-story. Numerous cisterns ensure the water supply. Building ornaments are rare.
Dunbar and Boal were able to identify two construction phases. They compare the structure with Yilan and the castle of Anazarba and suggest a dating of the second construction phase to the early 13th century.
settlement
A settlement seems to have developed west of the castle, which also existed in the Mameluk and Ottoman times and was mainly inhabited by Armenians. Today the village is largely deserted.
literature
- JG Dunbar, WWM Boal: The Castle of Vahga . In: Anatolian Studies 14 , 1964. pp. 175-184.