Zilkale

About this place

A four-storey stone tower on a rock spur, a river roaring roughly a hundred metres below it, and forest pressing in from every side as if trying to swallow the whole thing. That is the first sight of Zilkale as the road bends up the Fırtına valley, and it justifies the ninety minutes of driving on its own. The castle most likely went up in the 14th or 15th century, in the last days of the Empire of Trebizond or the first of Ottoman rule, to guard a mountain caravan route linking the Black Sea coast to İspir and Bayburt inland, and it stayed in use into the late 1800s. The name means 'Bell Castle', though it is probably a corruption of the Persian 'zir', the 'Lower Castle', to set it apart from forts higher up the valley. What you walk through today is three rings of defence: an outer wall, a middle wall, and the inner castle, with a garrison house, a small chapel and the main tower with arched windows, arrow slits and a crenellated roof terrace standing among them. A restoration between 2008 and 2011 was heavy-handed enough that new stone is easy to tell from old, but the upshot is that the stairs are safe and the tower top is open, though the wooden stairs inside the tower are narrow, steep and slippery on a wet day. Be honest with yourself: the interior is small and bare, with next to no interpretation. The real prize is the view from the top, over a forested gorge with clouds drifting past at more or less your own level, since the site stands at about 750 m above sea level and a sheer hundred metres above the river. Getting there from Rize by car means some 60 km east along the coast to Ardeşen, inland to Çamlıhemşin, then 15 km on a narrow road that hugs the river; allow an hour and a half to two hours depending on traffic. On the way you pass the Ottoman stone arch bridge at Şenyuva, worth a photo stop. Do not count on a regular dolmuş beyond Çamlıhemşin; for families without a car the answer is a jeep tour from Ayder or Çamlıhemşin, which pairs the castle with Palovit waterfall, another half hour or so on up a rough track. From the car park to the gate is a short but steep, damp stone stair: no good for pushchairs, easy for children of six and up, who tend to love the tower. The ticket is nominal, 60 Turkish lira for everyone in 2026, free under 18 and over 65, but the Turkish museum card is not accepted here because the castle is not run directly by the Culture Ministry, and the cramped car park at the gate charges too. It opens daily from nine to six. In July and August the little forecourt fills with tour minibuses between eleven and three, so arrive before ten or after four, and remember that the afternoon mist that rolls up the valley can wipe out the view entirely. Spring and autumn are quieter and clearer; in winter snow can close the road above Çamlıhemşin for days, so ask at your hotel before setting out.