Kars Castle

The castle, which bears the footprints of the Anatolian Seljuk State, was built in the 12th century by The Sultan of Saltuklu, Melik İzzeddin, and became a symbol of the city. The Saltuklus are an autonomous people of the Anatolian Seljuk State. The Seljuks, who carried out the 1064 Kars Conquest, one step before the Victory of Malazgirt, give the administration to the Saltuklus after taking the city. The castle, built by The Sultan of Saltuklu, Firuz Akay, at the behest of Melik Izzeddin, becomes the symbol of the city over time. Kars Castle, one of the most important examples of 12th-century Turkish architecture, is destroyed and looted during the siege of Kars by The Mongolian Emperor Timur. The city, which was very valuable to the Ottoman empire due to its geopolitical position, was the Ottoman Sultan of the period. Murad III. sends Grand Vizier Lala Mustafa Pasha to make architectural arrangements. Pasha, who shaped and repaired the castle in accordance with its original architecture within 16th century, also rebuilt the ruined walls. Kars Castle, which underwent many restoration works over time, was last destroyed by the Russians for 40 years when Kars was lost during the Ottoman-Russian War of 1877-1878. After the looting it lived for almost half a century, kars castle, which lost its original feature and use, has survived its glory.