Historic · Gebze, Kocaeli
Eskihisar Castle
A Byzantine hillside castle overlooking the entrance to the Gulf of İzmit.
- History
Image coming soon
Built on a steep hill in Gebze's Eskihisar neighbourhood, the castle is linked in sources to the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos and is first recorded in 1241. Built to control the southern approach to the Gulf of İzmit and its harbour, it contains an eight-columned Byzantine cistern and the remains of a large theatre. It was restored between 1995 and 2000.