Uçhisar Castle

Uçhisar Castle is located on the borders of the district of Uçhisar in Nevşehir province. It is a castle on a high hill 6 km from the central district, formed by steep natural rock formations.

History

The most precise information about the settlement of Uçhisar Castle extends to the Roman and Byzantine periods, but some research writings suggest that the construction date for the castle's use could have been between the 4th and 1st centuries BC. The period in which the castle, which has survived from antiquity to the present, was most intensively used is thought to be the mid-17th century AD, when Christian monks used it, and it is considered to have been used for defensive purposes from the later period to the present.

Settlement

Since the settlement information about Uçhisar Castle, which is located at the highest settlement point of Cappadocia, is not clear, it is understood that it has been evaluated with limited information as a result of archaeological research. Other archaeological sites in the region, scientific studies and the historian and documentary director who has researched the area for a long time, Tekin Gün Topraklı, and the archaeological findings from the Aşıklı höyük excavations and numismatic data shed light on the history of the region; the settlement traces of the region began in 8000–5500 BC and the castle structure, being on the dominant hill of the region, is thought to have been used for defensive purposes in some periods. In addition, archaeological surface studies have shown that the region was used during the Assyrian and Hittite periods; in the Kültepe and Acem Höyük excavations, the first written tablets of Anatolia were encountered. Thus, it is seen that Uçhisar Castle was used in different periods and dates.