Yeni Kale Castle
Yeni Kale, meaning New Castle, is one of the several additional attractions that await the visitors who arrive at this region of Turkey to see famous Mount Nemrut. Of course, in a land of such rich and long history as Anatolia, the term "new" does not necessarily mean that the building was built a few years ago. Actually, the fortress is referred to as "new", because it was erected in the 13th century, which distinguishes it from the Old Fortress (Eski Kale) - the ruins of ancient Arsameia dating back to the 3rd century BCE.
On the steep hill where the New Castle stands today, there was once the palace of the rulers of the ancient Kingdom of Commagene. The inscription discovered by Arsameia by the German archaeologist Friedrich Karl Dörner revealed the existence of these structures. However, no trace has been found of this palace, and in their place, a sombre fortress was erected, clearly visible from the Acropolis of Arsameia.
The fortress owes its present shape to the Mamluks who built it at the end of the 13th century. There are inscriptions in Arabic language referring to the construction and renovation of the castle during the reign of three Mamluk sultans bearing the names of Sayf ad-Din Qalawun (1279-90), Salah ad-Din Khalil (1290-93), and Nasir ad-Din Muhammad (1293- 1341).
At this point someone might ask who were those Mameluks, to rule in Anatolia instead of the Turks? During the stormy period of history discussed here, that is the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, Asia Minor was split into numerous political entities. This division resulted from the battle at Köse Dağ, fought between the Sultanate of Rum ruled by the Seljuk dynasty and the Mongol Empire in 1243. The defeat of the Turks resulted in a period of turmoil in Anatolia and led directly to the decline and disintegration of the Seljuk state.
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