Ottoman Fortifications Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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- Fortifications, Lesbos, Mytilene, Ottoman Fortifications
- by Ömer Gezer
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- Ottoman History, Ottoman Historiography, Ottoman Balkans, Ottoman Military History

Lucrarile workshop-ului ”Dobrogea otomană-coordonate istorice și arheologice”, Tulcea, 20-22 octombrie 2016, desfășurat în cadrul Proiectului Cultural cu finanțare nerambursabilă a Administrației Fondului Cultural Național contract nr. P053/21.01.2016 "Cartografia cetăților medievale dispărute din Dobrogea" / The workshop ”Ottoman Dobrogea - Archaelogical and historical coordinates”, Tulcea, October 20th-22nd 2016, developed in the frame of Cultural Project with co-financed by The National Cultural Fund Administration, contract No. P053/21.01.2016 ”The Cartography of the missing medieval fortresses in Dobrogea”.

- by Aurel-Daniel STĂNICĂ
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- Ottoman History, Ottoman Archaeology, Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Balkans

The narrowest point of the straits leading into the Amvrakikos Gulf has been used by man for ages as a passage from the one shore to the other, thus taking the name of its use, passage, which in old Albanian is Preveza.
This strategic passage has been in the frontiers from 1463, when it was conquered by the Ottomans, until 1913, when it was included in the Greek Kingdom. It was, thus, necessary to be well fortified and its fortifications had to be updated to reflect the evolving defensive techniques.
Immediately after the Ottomans captured the southwestern part of Epirus, they constructed two castellos in c. 1465 in the small bay of Vathy. They, also, erected the castle of Bouka, at the mouth (bocca in Venetian) of the Gulf, in 1478. The existence of this castle caused an urban development near it, which soon afterwards was named Preveza.
The Ottoman castle of Bouka was the scene of offensive attacks by Christian forces for at least four times, in the years 1481, 1501, 1538, and 1605. The defensive capacity of the castle was improved at least as many times, in the years 1486/87, 1495, 1538, and 1552. The Venetians seized the castle in 1684, but were obliged to blow it up in 1701 before they handed Preveza over to the Ottomans, in accordance with the Treaty of Karlowitz.
Before August 1702, the Ottomans built a large, square, earthen castle (260 m by 260 m), about a mile north of the destroyed castle of Bouka, at a location named sto Cyparissi (at the Cypress tree). The castle was shortened in breadth and improved by the Venetians, after they recaptured Preveza in 1717.
In 1807-8, Ali Pasha of Ioannina gave the castle the form that it has up to now. He also built St. George’s castle in 1807, dug a defensive moat around Preveza in the same year, and constructed the Outer castle (Uts kale) or castle of Pantokrator in c. 1815.
On the peninsula of Aktion Ali Pasha built a triangular castle, whose first phase was constructed in c. 1794 and its final phase was completed in September 1812. Additionally, he built a rectangular fortress (kulia), in order to protect the inhabitants of a new settlement that he created on the peninsula, and secured it by creating an earthen castle around it in 1807.
After 1832, when the frontier line between Greece and the Ottoman Empire was south of Aktion, the Ottomans built a border army station (kulia) on Aktion, as well as a small fort at the top of Lascara’s hill, most probably in 1860. After 1881, when Aktion peninsula was ceded to Greece and the Preveza straits became the border, the Ottomans constructed further supplementary defensive works in Preveza.

Fortress as a tool for the implementation of Ottoman military power was necessary for the upkeep and security of the Ottoman rule in Azerbaijan. Following its capture in 1588, Ganja was among the main towns of Azerbaijan fortified by the Ottomans. The primary aim of the fortification of Ganja was to maintain Ottoman rule in former Safavid beylerbeyi of Qarabagh, in the territories of which Ottomans established the vilâyet-i Gence Karabağ with seven sanjaks (districts). After fortifications, Ganja became one of the major garrison towns on the eastern frontier of the Ottomans. Apart from its military functions, the fortress served as the administrative seat of Ganja-Qarabagh province until it fell into the hands of the Safavids after the siege of 1606. In 1615, Ganja fortress, one of the examples of the late sixteenth century Ottoman military architecture in Azerbaijan, was subjected to destruction by the order of Shah Abbas I. Drawing mainly on primary sources, this article aims to explore the history of Ottoman fortifications of Ganja and examine some little-studied aspects of Ottoman provincial administration of Ganja-Qarabagh province in the late sixteenth century.

- by Ahmad Guliyev
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- Ottoman History, Ottoman Studies, Ottoman Empire, Early modern Ottoman History

William Martin Leake (1777-1860), a british military, emissary and traveller, visited Greece in 1804-1807 and 1809-1810. Amongst his several publications about Greece the four-volume "Travels in northern Greece", printed in London in 1835, is the best example of travellers memoirs of the region. This article is a critical Greek translation of Leake's text about the region of Preveza, Nicopolis and Actium and appears in the biennial edition of the Municipal Library of Preveza "Prevezanika Chronika".

- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Preveza, William Leake in Greece, Ottoman Fortifications, Πρέβεζα

After meticulously studying historical evidence and information from diverse sources about the settlement and evolution of the town of Preveza, the following conclusions are drawn: The Ottomans seized the castle of Riniassa before the end of July 1463 during the reign of Mehmet II, the Conqueror. A small settlement by the port of Vathy, two kilometres north of modern Preveza, which existed at that time and belonged administratively to the region of Riniassa, was probably fortified with two towers in 1465. A new castle was erected in 1478 at the entrance of the gulf of Arta, and eventually became known as the Castle of Bouka (from Italian bocca, meaning mouth or entrance to the gulf). The Ottomans improved its fortification in 1486-1487, 1495, 1530, 1553, and the Venetians did so too in 1684 after they seized the castle. In August 1701, the Venetians blew up the castle before they handed it over to the Ottomans, as stipulated by the terms of the Treaty of Karlowitz. In 1702, the Ottomans erected a new fort half a mile to the north of the destroyed Bouka castle, which resulted in the relocation of the small town of Preveza closer to the new stronghold.
Several manuscripts and prints have illustrated Bouka castle. The first known depiction on a map appears on the 1521 manuscript map of Pirî Reis (Fig. 2), followed by prints of Francesco Genesio in 1538 (Fig. 3), and Antonio Salamanca c.1540 (Fig. 4). Three more manuscript illustrations –those of Iacopo Inghirami in 1605 (Fig. 6), an unknown Venetian in 1684 (Fig. 9), and Giovanni Leonardo Mauro in 1685 (Fig. 10)– are reviewed and compari-sons are made. A new drawing of the castle is made (Fig. 11), based on that of Mauro, and it is overlaid on a modern satellite image of Preveza (Fig. 19) to indicate the exact location of the castle of Bouka. The castle’s foundations surely remain just beneath the topsoil and could be easily located by small excavations.

Bu yazı Balkanlar özelinde Osmanlı kaleleri üzerine yapılmış modern araştırmaları ele alıyor. Osmanlı askerî tarihinin bir cüzü olarak Osmanlı kaleleri üzerine yapılan çalışmaların sayısı, imparatorluğun coğrafî genişliğine tezat bir şekilde az sayıdadır. Yeni askerî tarihçili- ğin Osmanlı tarihçilerinin gündeminde kendisine yer bulmasıyla birlikte kaleler giderek daha fazla sayıda tarihçinin araştırmasına konu oluyor. Bu yazıda, bir durum tespiti yapabilmek için, evvela Osmanlı kalelerinin askerî mimarîsi üzerine yapılan araştırmalar, daha sonra tekil olarak kale monografileri ve nihayet serhad bölgelerinde kale sistemlerini inceleyen eserler mercek altına alınmıştır.

- by Ömer Gezer
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- Military History, Ottoman History, Ottoman Studies, Early modern Ottoman History

The aim of this article is to present information which has resulted from our research on the fortifications of Preveza, once the westernmost part of the Ottoman Empire. Reports and designs held in the Venetian archives, as well as plans and drawings of the 18th century, provide enough evidence for the second Ottoman fortification of Preveza in 1702.

- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Ottoman History, Ottoman Studies, Greek Fortifications, Fortifications
- by Peuce Journal
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- Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Prehistoric Archaeology, Anthropology

Built on a rocky plateau of the Vértes Mountains, Csókakő Castle is the single castle of medieval origin in County Fejér. It was built by the Csák kindred in the later thirteenth century. The castle enjoyed a prominent strategic position owing to the proximity of the road linking Székesfehérvár and Győr and it retained its military role up to the close
of the seventeenth century. Lying some 25 km from Székesfehérvár, the lords of the fortress with extensive estates in the fourteenth–sixteenth centuries included prominent aristocratic families such as the Rozgonyis, the Kanizsais, Nádasdys and the Bakicses as well as the sovereign in some periods. The castle came under Ottoman control in 1543–1544, which remained continuous until 1687, except for a few years during the Fifteen Years’ War (1593–1606). Major archaeological investigations and renovations were undertaken in the castle between 1996 and 2017. After 2014, when the castle was included in the National Castle Project, archaeological work accelerated. The last excavation
season was completed in 2017. The study describes and discusses the investigations conducted in the lower castle between 2014 and 2017.

When preparing the documentation for some historical studies in order to update the zoning plans for the territorial-administrative units in Tulcea County, we encountered problems in locating the fortresses and fortifications built by the Ottomans in Dobrudja. Therefore, we initiated an extensive research to identify the historical documents and cartographic sources mentioning the plans of the Ottoman fortresses in Dobrudja. Cartography is an " image maker " throughout history, helping us put together the pieces of the evolution of Ottoman fortifications. Our endeavour has contributed to improved knowledge of historical geography, identifying sites that, unfortunately, are lost nowadays. Research was carried out in two main phases: the cabinet phase (analysis of topographic and cadastral maps, historical maps, documentary sources, imagery, GIS analysis) and the field phase (archaeological field research, archaeological topography, taking low altitude aerial photographs using drones – UAV). The analysis and interpretation of the aerial and satellite photographs represented the most intense activity, whose results were integrated into a GIS. This is actually the most effective working methodology for our purposes. Earthen fortifications have been included in our mapping project of lost missing medieval fortresses in the area between the Danube and the Black Sea. The tabya is the only evidence of a system of fortifications made by the Ottomans in the neighbourhood of the settlements: Tulcea, Isaccea, Babadag, Hârşova and Medgidia. The methodological approach opens new perspectives in the extended mapping of the archaeological landscape, studying the effect of the Ottoman conquest and domination in Dobrudja. Rezumat: În realizarea documentațiilor pentru întocmirea unor studii istorice, cu scopul actualizării planurilor urbanistice generale (PUG) pentru unitățile administrativ teritoriale din județul Tulcea, ne-am lovit de problema localizării cetăților și fortificațiilor realizate de otomani pe teritoriul Dobrogei. Pentru constituirea dosarul istoric și arheologic al fortificațiilor otomane din Dobrogea am inițiat o amplă documentare, în care am identificat documentele istorice și sursele cartografice, unde sunt descrise sau apar planurile cetăților turcești din Dobrogea. Această veritabilă " fabrică de imagini " , care s-a dovedit a fi cartografia de-a lungul istoriei, ne ajută la întregirea tabloului evolutiv al fortificațiilor turcești. Din această preocupare rezultă o mai bună cunoaştere a geografiei istorice, cu identificări de obiective în dreptul cărora astăzi aşezăm cu neajutorare adjectivul "dispărute". Cercetarea a avut două etape: etapa de cabinet (analiză hărți topografice și cadastrale, hărți istorice, surse documentare, imagini satelitare, analiza GIS) și etapa de teren (cercetarea arheologică de teren, topografie arheologică, realizare fotografii aeriene de joasă altitudine cu ajutorul dronelor – UAV). Analiza și interpretarea fotografiilor aeriene și satelitare a fost activitatea cea mai intensă, rezultatele au fost integrate într-un GIS, această metodologie de lucru fiind considerată cea mai eficientă pentru atingerea obiectivelor.

- by Aurel-Daniel STĂNICĂ
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- Cartography, Ottoman History, Medieval History, Medieval Studies

Ομιλία που έγινε δίπλα στο κάστρο του Παντοκράτορα, το Σάββατο, 17 Ιουλίου 2021, σε εκδήλωση που διοργάνωσε η Δήμος Πρέβεζας και ο Πολιτιστικός Σύλλογος "Πρέβεζα", στο πλαίσιο του εορτασμού των 200 χρόνων από την έναρξη της Ελληνικής... more

- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Greek Fortifications, Fortifications, Preveza, History of Preveza
- by Cristina Tonghini and +3
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- Byzantine fortifications, Ottoman Fortifications, Uzun Hasan Aqqoyunlu, Islamic Castles and Fortifications
- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Castles, Preveza, History of Preveza, Ottoman Fortifications
- by Xeni Simou
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- Ottoman Fortifications, Ottoman Morea, Modern Age Fortification
- by Aurel-Daniel STĂNICĂ
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- Ottoman History, Ottoman Balkans, Ottoman Military History, Fortifications

Το κάστρο του Παντοκράτορα είναι ένα από τα πολλά οχυρωματικά έργα της Πρέβεζας, στο στόμιο του πορθμού που οδηγεί από το Ιόνιο πέλαγος στον Αμβρακικό κόλπο. Όλοι οι σύγχρονοι μελετητές συμφωνούν στο ότι το κάστρο του Παντοκράτορα κατασκευάστηκε την περίοδο των 14 ετών που ο Αλή πασάς κατείχε την Πρέβεζα (τέλος του 1806 μέχρι το 1820). Ο ακριβής χρόνος κατασκευής του κάστρου, όμως, δεν συμφωνείται από όλους.

- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Fortifications, Castles, Preveza, Ottoman Fortifications
- by Eduard Shehi
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- Fortifications, Durres, Ottoman Fortifications, Ottoman Period

This 2017 Prize winning article, takes up the broader theme of geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean by examining the interactions between Ottoman administrators and French engineers in the defense and negotiation of a maritime frontier zone at the beginning of the nineteenth century. More specifically, the author investigates the circumstances surrounding the construction of the so-called Agios Georgios fortress in the contested port city of Preveza, one of the most important access points from mainland Greece to the Ionian Sea. She demonstrates that the installation was commissioned by Ali Pasha of Tepelena, the semi-independent Ottoman governor of the region, in order to secure his position against potential threats from European powers occupying the nearby Ionian Islands.
In addition to a careful analysis of the fortification’s physical structure and its relationship with the surrounding landscape, she also introduces an important archival source recently discovered at the Gennadius Library in Athens, a series of hand-written reports by the French engineers (a Captain Ponceton and Frédéric Guillaume de Vaudoncourt), whom Ali Pasha hired for the construction of Agios Georgios as well as other fortifications in the region. These reports reveal the delicate balance of power among various imperial actors at this time, and how these macropolitics were expressed spatially within evershifting border regions. Additionally, the reports point to an emerging class of military engineers who frequently crossed these imperial borders to meet the increasing demand on all sides for the latest developments in fortification technology, resulting in the blurring of the definitions of “Ottoman”, “Islamic”, and “European” military architecture.
A full transcription of the relevant sections found in the French archival accounts is attached as an appendix to this paper.

- by Actia Nicopolis Foundation and +1
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- Ottoman History, Military Architecture, Ottoman Empire, Fortifications
- by Gyöngyi Kovács
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- Ottoman Archaeology, Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Balkans, Archaeology of Hungary
- by Konstantinos Sarantidis
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- Fortifications, Lesbos, Mytilene, Ottoman Fortifications
- by Sadık Müfit Bilge
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- Ottoman History, Croatian History, Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Balkans
- by Yannis Spyropoulos
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- Military History, Ottoman History, Mediterranean Studies, Mediterranean

The plans executed by military engineers i.e. specialized engineers in the service of European armies from the 16th century onwards, are in principle faithful representations of premises, fortifications or other technical works (such as ports, roads, etc) at a specific time.
These drawings were not meant to be accessible or used by the public. They documented existing structures or traced proposed changes in order to inform or be approved by the various military and political authorities.
The fortified settlement at the outskirts of modern Pylos, placed at the south entrance of the Navarino gulf, is known in the sources as Niokastro or New Navarino. It is distinguished from the medieval castle of (Old) Navarino, which occupies a promontory at the opposite entrance of the gulf. Niokastro is a fortified sea-side city with a strong hexagonal citadel that was founded in 1573 by the Ottoman administration with the aim to protect the area’s natural harbor.
The present paper discusses eleven plans of military engineers that represent the fortification and the settlement of Niokastro. These are sources that provide considerable information for the shape, the condition and the various changes the area underwent in the period of the 17th-19th centuries. They include partial or overall ground plans, views, sections or depictions of the fortress. They are preserved without any accompanying texts or evidence in the archives of Venice and Athens. Six of them are published here for the first time.
The plans belong to two periods: the earliest (cat. nrs. 1-9) were executed at the brief time of Second Venetian Rule (1686-1715), by engineers of various nationalities in the service of the Serenissima. Their aim was to record the existing condition, as well as suggestions for the reinforcement of the defences. The latest plans (cat. nrs. 10-11) belong to the first half of the 19th century after the end of Ottoman rule. They record the state of preservation of the fortified settlement during the early post-ottoman period. Plan nr. 10 was executed by French engineers of the expeditionary force under general Maison, active in the area after 1828. It formulates the first proposals for the restructure of the city within the walls. Plan nr. 11 was probably due to the Bavarian engineers of the newly-created Greek state, and it could date from the 1830s. From this plan, which represents a state of things very similar to the present one, it is obvious that Niokastro retained henceforth an exclusively military role, after the inhabitants were removed to the new city of Pylos beyond its walls.

Geçtiğimiz yirmi yıldan bu yana kaynakların çeşitlendirilmesi ve yeniden değerlendirilmesi sayesinde Osmanlı askeri tarihi baştan yazılıyor. Osmanlı ve Habsburg arşivlerindeki zengin malzemeye dayanarak kaleme alınan bu kitap da 1699 sonrasında imparatorluğun Habsburg serhaddindeki askeri gücüne odaklanarak bu alana katkı sağlıyor. Osmanlılar, 1683’te Viyana’yı ele geçirmek üzereyken ağır bir bozgun yaşadılar ve takip eden savaşta sınırlarını koruyan kalelerin neredeyse tamamını kaybettiler. İmparatorluğun çekirdek coğrafyası, hatta başkenti İstanbul bile ortaya çıkan askeri zafiyet nedeniyle tehdit altında kaldı. Karlofça Antlaşması’ndan (1699) sonra Babıali, bu zafiyetin üstesinden gelmek için yeni savunma hatları oluşturmak üzere harekete geçti. Kuzeyde Rusya ve Lehistan, güneyde Venedik, batıda ise Habsburg sınırında imparatorluğun askeri gücü yeniden örgütlendi. Habsburg serhaddinde, Bosna’dan Temeşvar’a kadar uzanan bir coğrafyada, sıklet merkezinde Belgrad Kalesi’nin bulunduğu bir savunma hattı oluşturuldu. Bu amaçla modern tabyalar inşa edilerek kaleler tahkim edildi ve çok sayıda asker yazılarak serhad garnizonları güçlendirildi. Bu askeri programın masraflarını karşılamak için imparatorluğun mali kaynakları seferber edildi. Babıali’nin çabaları sonucunda Habsburg sınırındaki Osmanlı askeri gücü, çoğu yerli kulu neferler olmak üzere, neredeyse 40 bin askere çıkarıldı. Ne var ki 1716-1718 Savaşı’nda Babıali’nin inşa ettiği savunma hattı Habsburg ordusu karşısında ayakta kalamadı: 1716’da Temeşvar, 1717’de Osmanlı Avrupası’nın en önemli kalesi Belgrad düştü. İmparatorluğun 1699’dan itibaren seferber ettiği askeri ve mali kaynaklara rağmen bu savunma hatları niçin bu kadar kolayca çöktü? Ömer Gezer kale mimarisinden serhad garnizonlarının yapısına kadar uzanan bir alanda Habsburg serhaddindeki Osmanlı askeri gücünü, sosyo-askeri ve ekonomik yönlerini de ihmal etmeden incelediği kitabında bu soruyu Osmanlı askeri bürokrasisinin yetersizliğine işaret ederek cevaplıyor.

- by Ömer Gezer
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- Military History, Ottoman History, Ottoman Empire, Early modern Ottoman History
- by Ömer Gezer
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- Military History, Ottoman History, Ottoman-Habsburg relations, Ottoman Balkans
- by Paschalis Androudis and +1
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- Ottoman Studies, Ottoman Fortifications, Ottoman Selanik (Thessaloniki), Ottoman Art and Architecture In Greece

Situee dans une vallee fertile, au debouche de la passe de Gravia, entre les pentes extremes du Ghiona et du Parnasse, la ville d'Amphissa a occupe depuis l’Antiquite une place strategique dans l'histoire diplomatico-militaire, place dont temoigne l'ampleur des fortifications de toutes epoques conservees aujourd’hui. Face au defi que represente la comprehension de ces vestiges relativement peu etudies jusqu'a present, une equipe internationale et transdisciplinaire s'est constituee depuis 2017 avec pour but l'etude des systemes defensifs d'Amphissa dans la longue duree. La presente communication expose les premiers resultats de cette enquete.

Το Κάστρο του Αγίου Γεωργίου ή Γενή Καλέ ή Χιζίρ Καλεσί είναι μία εκ των τεσσάρων μεγάλων οχυρώσεων οι οποίες σώζονται εντός του αστικού ιστού της Πρέβεζας. Το κάστρο ανεγέρθηκε το 1807 από τον Αλή Πασά, βάσει σχετικών αρχιτεκτονικών σχεδίων Γάλλων αξιωματικών του μηχανικού. Μετά την ενσωμάτωση της Πρέβεζας στο ελληνικό κράτος, το 1912, και μέχρι το 2002 εντός του οχυρού εγκαταστάθηκε Σύνταγμα Πεζικού του Ελληνικού Στρατού.

- by Nikos D. Karabelas
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- Fortifications, Castles, Preveza, Ottoman Fortifications
- by Gyöngyi Kovács
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- Archaeology, Ottoman History, Pottery (Archaeology), Material Culture Studies
- by Vincent Ory
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- Ottoman History, Architecture, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Heritage Conservation

The aim of this paper is the study of the now destroyed fortifications of the Greek city of Chalcis (Evri-pos / Negreponte / Egriboz). Having been an important urban centre during the Early and Middle Byz-antine Period, Chalcis was occupied by the Latins after the capture of Constantinople in 1204 and became a significant trade centre of Venice. By the end of the fourteenth century, the city became a Vene-tian holding. In 1470 the Ottomans captured the city after a brief siege. In 1688 the city was unsuccessfully besieged by the Venetians. And in 1833 it was annexed by the Greek State. In the end of the nineteenth century the fortifications of Chalcis were almost completely demolished during an attempt to reorganize and modernize the city. The fortified medieval city of Chalcis, the Kastro, had the shape of a long, irregular pentagon with maximum dimensions 400 x 700 m. It was surrounded on three sides, namely the north, west and south, by sea. Along its two other sides, the northeast and the southeast, there was a dry moat. Its fortifications had three gates, one on Euripus bridge and two on the land wall, through which the city was connected with Boeotia and Euboea, respectively. From the study of the fortifications , based on their depictions in old engravings and photographs as well as on some poor and still visible remnants, it appears that until their demolition the city walls retained to a large extent their late medieval form, although they had undergone significant interventions by the Ottomans, mainly on the eve, and just after the siege of 1688. The only surviving part of the city's defences, the fort of Karababa, built on the steep hill of the Boeotian coast, can be dated to this period.

- by Stavros Mamaloukos
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- Fortifications, Medieval Fortifications, Ottoman Fortifications, Chalcis

PATRIMONIUM.MK 14 - Skopje

- by Duško Cvetanov
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- Archaeology, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Medieval History, Balkan History