Erzurum Kalesi


Though it's raised just a few metres above the surrounding city centre, Erzurum's castle site nonetheless offers panoramic views of the mountains and townscape. The views are even better if you pay the entry fee and climb the 12th-century minaret, though there's precious little else to see within the sturdy walls.

The minaret was transformed into a clock tower in the 19th century and the original made-in-Croydon mechanism still works. Getting to the top involves climbing 67 uneven steps in a spiral stone staircase then a steep ladder.

The castle is just one part of an original citadel that was originally erected by a general of Byzantine emperor Theodosius in the 5th century, perhaps on the site of an earlier Urartu fortification. Subsequently damaged and repaired numerous times, the site is undergoing a very major facelift: the interior is one big archaeological site, outlying structures are under reconstruction and, across a trio of roads to the east, a secondary area of former citadel has been cleared of housing though as yet there's nothing to see there.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Ulu Cami

0.11 MILES

This restrained but elegant mosque was built in 1179 by Erzurum's Saltuk Turkish emir. Seven aisles run north–south and six run east–west, resulting in a…

2. Caferiye Camii

0.14 MILES

This 1645 stone mosque is distinctive for the triple-stepped appearance of is low-slung central dome.

3. Çifte Minareli Medrese

0.15 MILES

Erzurum's most iconic medieval landmark features twin fluted minarets with detailing in blue glaze on brick. There's a beautifully carved main portal and…

4. Lala Paşa Camii

0.23 MILES

Erzurum's first Ottoman-era mosque was built in 1562 by Lala Mustafa Paşa, general and grand vizier under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Its plan is the…

5. Üç Kümbetler

0.26 MILES

The name means 'three mausoleums' though in fact there are four, or five if you count another some way south across the park. The biggest is believed by…

6. Yakutiye Medresesi

0.29 MILES

Dominating Erzurum's central park, this handsome 1310 medrese (seminary) building features a minaret whose superb mosaic tile work wouldn't look out of…

7. Kongre Binası

0.5 MILES

If you're waiting for an Artvin or Yusufeli bus, it's worth nipping across the road to this elegant if very heavily restored 1864 mansion, home to an art…