Recently, I've been touring castles built in various cities. The last time I visited Cesme Castle in Izmir. This castle was built in 1508, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II, in order to find a cure for Venetian raids and pirate attacks. Cesme Castle, which was originally built adjacent to the sea, has remained in the interior with the filling and expansion of the coast over time.
Cesme Castle is integrated with the city unlike the castles I have visited before. Before entering the castle, you can stroll on the beach and enjoy the sea, and visit the famous marina and other historical structures nearby. Due to the location of the castle, there are many restaurants, cafes and shopping centers in the region. When I got there, I gave priority to the castle.
When I arrived at the entrance of the castle, there was a long queue. When it was my turn, I gave my teacher card and entered for free. Thanks to this privilege granted to teachers by the State of the Republic of Turkey, I feel relieved financially during my travels. When the academic year starts again, I hope to be useful to my students as a better equipped teacher thanks to the new experiences I have gained.
I went up the steep stairs of the castle. It was quite tiring. But it was really worth it when you saw both the magnificent architecture of the castle and the view. While examining my surroundings, I also traveled through time. In 1770, the Ottoman-Russian war took place in this region, and Çeşme Castle was hit by hundreds of shells. In some parts of the castle there were war equipment from those days.
The designs of almost all castles are the same. Defense and attack points, observation posts, logistics lines are the main sections. But a castle is not limited to these. There is a separate living space inside the castles, especially in the courtyards. Besides being sheltered, Cesme Castle is a magnificent place with its magnificent view. While I was visiting the castle, I thought if I was a person living in ancient times, I would like this place. This was the pinnacle of my admiration for imposing stone structures.
And I kept going. The stone arches, almost by the hand of an artist, the mysterious stairs that prepared me for the next point were like pages of a novel. As I progressed, everything I learned intrigued me more. I continued to move towards the highest part of the castle in search of all the answers I was looking for. As I progressed, I began to see the vast horizons of the sea more clearly. The marina with its magnificent view was under my feet.
Among the places I visited, I liked the castles the most. When I go to other cities, the first thing I look at will not change. I will be there again. I will move forward by touching the stones. When I pass through the mysterious corridors of the castle, I will be curious as if I have turned another page of the novel.
Thanks for stopping by my page and sharing my experience.