Severe drought in Turkey’s Keban Dam in Tunceli revealed the military barracks of the ancient Pertek Castle, which emerged for only the second time since the dam started operating 51 years ago.
Pertek Castle, built by the Urartians on a sharp hill by the Murat River in the 8th century BCE, is 2,800 years old. Since the Keban Dam began operating in 1974 it became an island. The castle hosted the Urartians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Seljuks, and carries traces of these civilizations.
During the Ottoman Empire, the fortress was repaired, giving it its current appearance. It consists of two concentric walls, currently with ruins of buildings between them.On the southern facade of Pertek Castle, there are red hard bricks placed among the hewn stones and scattered blue tiles.
“As far as we learned from historians and former district residents, the barracks were used as a control point for guests and soldiers coming to the castle. Since it is located in the lower part of the castle, it is an important place for security,” said Kağan Tunç, according to CNN Türk.
“Before the Keban Dam, there was the Murat River here. Transportation was done with keleks–rafts made from inflated sheep skins. The purpose of the keleks was to transport people across and to fish. My grandfather was one of the oldest kelek makers here. Everyone knew him,” said Hıdır Turan, who transports passengers to the castle by boat, according to Haber7.
“My grandfather always told us about the old state of the castle. This year was very hot and without rain. The water level of the dam dropped. With the decrease in water level, the barracks emerged,” Turan said, according to T24.
According to Milliyet, visitors who want to see Pertek Castle use the tour boats at the ferry pier.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
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