Kilitbahir Castle

Kilitbahir Castle (Turkish: Kilitbahir Kalesi) is a fortress on the west side of the Dardanelles, opposite the city of Çanakkale, where there is a corresponding fortress (Kale-i Sultaniye), from which Çanakkale takes its name. The two castles were constructed by Fatih Sultan Mehmet in 1463 to control the straits at their narrowest point. Kilitbahir's name, meaning "lock of the sea", reflects this defensive purpose. Due to the protracted siege against Candia, the castle and Kale-i Sultaniye were repaired in order to fortify the Dardanelles.

Key facts

Type: castle, fortress
Built: 1452
Architectural style: Ottoman architecture
Located in: Marmara Region

Facts from Wikidata.

Coordinates: 40.147656, 26.379565Open in Google Maps

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Sources

The text on this page comes from: Kilitbahir Castle (en.wikipedia.org), as of 5 May 2026

Text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.