Name of Monument: Kilitbahir [kilid al-bahr] Fortress Location: Kilitbahir - Eceabat, Çanakkale, Turkey Date of Monument: Hegira 866 / AD 1463 Period / Dynasty: Early Ottoman Patron(s): Sultan Mehmed II ‘the Conqueror’, (his second reign r. AH 855– 86 / AD 1451–81); the outer structure expanded during the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. AH 926–974 / AD 1520–1566). Description: Some time after the conquest of Istanbul, the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, intending to take control of the Dardanelles, built two fortresses at the narrowest point of the Straits, one on the Anatolian side, and this one, Kilitbahir Fortress, on the European side. Sultaniye or çimenlik Fortress on the Anatolian side was the first to be built; Kilitbahir was the second fortress that Sultan Mehmed II ordered to be built, and because of its location, the fortress was called kilid al-bahr, i.e. lock of the sea. Its plan gives it a special place among Turkish fortresses. The village of Kilitbahir, behind the fortress, takes its name from it. Kilitbahir Fortress occupies a rectangular area measuring approximately 220 m x 120 m. It consists of two outer fortresses (one to the north and one to the south); and one inner fortress with a central tower. The outer fortress to the north was the first to be built, in the period of Sultan Mehmed II. It is surrounded by 4-m high walls. The section of wall which once ran parallel to the shoreline no longer survives. It is known that originally there were large moats around the outer fortress, and that it was entered through gates on the north and south sides which were accessed by suspended bridges. The moats were later filled in and no longer survive today. The second outer fortress to the south, was built under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in AH 948 AD 1542. A monumental round tower, 21 m in diameter and covered with a dome, rises from the southeast end. The inner fortress in the centre of the northern outer fortress is shaped like a three-leaf clover. This inner fortress, surrounded by 7-m thick walls, consists of three separate courtyards with a seven-storey tower in the centre. Of the courtyards, which are connected to each other by single openings, only two can be entered from the outer fortress; the courtyard with the 30-meter high, seven-storey tower in it cannot be accessed from the outer fortress. It was thus made difficult for anyone who wanted to attack the fortress to get to the tower. The main outline of the tower is heart-shaped. The towers seven floors were made of wood, and were ascended by a wooden staircase within the wall. The stairs and wooden floors no longer survive. The Kilitbahir Fortress was built of fine cut stone, rough-cut stone and rubble. Architecturally the fortress is extremely interesting; this is in contrast to the decoration which is very simple. The principal forms of ornament are brickwork sun-disks at the top of the walls of the inner fortress and bands of rosettes and meander-motifs. The Kilitbahir Fortress was built in the time of Sultan Mehmed II in order to defend the Dardanelles. It was expanded in AH 948 AD 1542 under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent by adding a second outer fortress to the south. The fortress underwent restorations in 1955–6 and in 1967–8 and is open to visitors today. View Short Description Called 'lock of the sea' because of its strategic position, Kilitbahir Fortress rises on the European side of the strait, opposite the Sultaniye Fortress. The fortress comprises two outer fortresses, an inner castle and a tower in the middle. Its inner castle and central tower are especially remarkable for their layout. The inner castle is in the shape of a three-leafed clover and the seven-storeyed tower is heart-shaped, both of which distinguish the fortress from other Ottoman fortresses. How Monument was dated: The fortress has no foundation inscriptions. Based on various historical documents, it is now agreed that it was built in AH 866 / AD 1463 by order of Sultan Mehmed II and under the supervision of Yakup Pasha, together with the Sultaniye Fortress in çanakkale. The second outer fortress to the south was built in AH 948 / AD 1542 in the period of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, according to an inscription above the entrance to the tower on its southeast corner. Selected bibliography: Ayverdi, E. H., Osmanl# Mimarisinde Fatih Devri (1451–81) [The Period of the Conqueror in Ottoman Architecture (1451– 81)], Vol. IV, Istanbul, 1974, pp.790–804. çakmak, #., Erken Osmanl# Sanat#, Beyliklerin Miras# [Early Ottoman Art: The Legacy of the Emirates], Madrid, 1999, pp.165–7. Citation of this web page: #akir ÇakmakKilitbahir [kilid al-bahr] Fortress in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers,2021 http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php? id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;20;en Prepared by: ,Translation by: ,Translation copyedited by: #akir Çakmak,Barry Wood,#nci Türko#lu,Mandi Gomez MWNF Working Number: TR 30.