İzmir Port Castle

Izmir Port Castle, a castle built in Izmir in the 12th century, demolished in 1872.

History

Izmir Port Castle was built by the Byzantines in the 12th century at the entrance of the inner harbor that does not survive to the present day. In the 13th century it passed under the control of the Genoese, and in the 14th century under the Aydinid Beylik. After the Izmir Crusade the castle fell into the hands of the Hospitalier Knights and was called San Pietro Castle during this period. In 1348 the Aydinid Beylik besieged the castle; however the siege ended in failure and Umur Bey was killed. Timur, the ruler of the Timurid Empire, besieged the castle by land in December 1402 and ordered the inner harbor to be filled. By filling the inner harbor with stones brought from Kadifekale, the castle was prevented from receiving assistance from the sea and the siege ended successfully. After the siege the castle was demolished by order of Timur. In September 1472, after the Venetian admiral Pietro Mocenigo attacked and looted Izmir from the sea, Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II ordered the castle to be rebuilt in 1479 for the defense of the city. Planned as a three‑cornered structure, the castle was built in October 1480 on the existing foundations. In the 17th century, with the construction of Sancakburnu Castle in İnciraltı, the importance of Port Castle declined, but it continued to be used until the second half of the 19th century. Later, damaged by neglect, the castle was demolished in 1872 following a decision made in 1870. Today, the Kemeraltı Bazaar occupies the site of the filled inner harbor, and the Hisar Mosque, once attached to the castle, also takes its name from the castle.