Islamic Architecture (continued)

IV. Forts and Castles

Introduction: A Time of War

Warfare was frequent in Medieval times. Islam was spread through conquests of neighboring empires and eventually Islamic Empires gained control of territories from Spain to India. Yet there were divisions of Muslims themselves who battled for control of the empire and for the religious authority as a successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslim kingdoms fought other Muslim kingdoms. There was warfare with Byzantine Christians and later with Christian crusaders as well. But the greatest threat came with the Mongol invasions of the 1200s and again about 1400 under Tamerlain.

A. Built for Defense

So castles and forts were essential for protection. Castles and forts were built out of local materials, such as stone in Syria and baked brick in Iraq. Look at these castles below to see their defensive structures such as towers, high windowless walls, arrow-loops, crenelations, strong gates often with drawbridges and moats, and more. They had to be strong enough to withstand sieges (attack) from many enemies.

Of course castles had to house many soldiers, so there were barracks (sleeping quarters), kitchen and dining halls, and stables for horses. There were bath houses and restrooms, too. All Muslim castles would also have a mosque

B. Strategies for Attacking a Castle

Below is a Persian miniature painting of an attack upon a castle. In the painting you can see many of the structures that were in the European castles: towers at the corners, a moat surrounding the castle with a drawbridge that goes into a gate (or portcullis). The strategies of attack would be to get over, through, or under the walls. They would attack from a distance with catapults and flaming arrows. Closer to the walls they would push up a siege towers, or climb ladders while relatively unprotected from above. At the walls the attackers would use a battering ram to try to break down the doors, or tunneling equipment to cover them while digging under the walls. (In the upper left corner is a commander at his tent site planning the battle.)

Herat school, c. 1500

C. Famous Castles

1. Citadel (fortress) of Aleppo, Syria

The Citadel (fortress) of Aleppo, Syria ... Photo courtesy of Paul Artus, Travelring

Like most forts, this citadel is built on a hill for protection. Inside its strong walls lay living quarters, a mosque, bath houses, dungeons, and cisterns to hold water. There is even an amphitheater for entertainment! (Most of these are now in ruins.)

The sole entrance to the Citadel (shown above) is through the outer tower on the southeast side. This defended the stone arched bridge which covered the moat which was about 70 feet long. The gateway is almost a castle in itself. The door is placed on a sidewall with a close wall facing it to limit the space needed to ram the door down. As you go in, there is a bent entrance with five right angle turns that would slow down attackers. The pitch dark of the inside of the gateway is to strengthen the contrast between light and dark so that it would be impossible for attackers to see.

It was used as a "crusaders' castle", but originally built by Arabs. It had been attacked and was greatly damaged by the two Mongol invasions, in 1269 and 1400 (under Tamerlain).

Learn more about the Citadel (from SyriaGate). See a drawing of the castle in "The Citadel" in Aleppo, Syria. See more images the Citadel of Aleppo.

 

2. Desert Castles of Jordan

Photo courtesy of BamJam Tours of Jordan

Some of these "desert castles" do not have any defensive structures. The lack of a defensive architectural design suggests that most were built as recreational retreats. The early Arab rulers' built or took over these castles because they loved the desert. It appears that these castles were surrounded by artificial oases with fruit, vegetables and animals for hunting. Other theories suggest that the leaders and their families came to the desert to avoid epidemics (quickly spreading diseases) which plagued the big cities, or to maintain links with the Bedouin nomads, their relatives and the basis of their power.

 

Learn more about Jordan's Desert Castles: Desert Castles: Medieval Jordan shows some castles in Jordan. Another site showing Jordan's castles (of the "Desert Castle Loop - Touristic Sites"). Also see Pictures of Castles in Jordan. Castles of Jordan "Desert Castles & Crusader Forts" is an excellent site for castles and forts. A sixth grade class in Amman, Jordan has put together a website on Castles from their field trips and research. Visit it: "Crusades: A View from Jordan". Go on their Virtual Tour! (Award winning site.) And see Jordan's Desert Castles from ACS Middle School in Jordan.

3. Crak de Chevaliers, Jordan was built by Arabs in the late 11th century, but it was taken over by Christian crusaders and expanded. It was used by the crusaders for 127 years, then recaptured by the Mamluks from Egypt. This castle is one of the largest of its kind and is well preserved. Enough supplies were stored to last a 3,000 man army for up to five years.

For a brief history of the castle, see Crac des Chevaliers Archeological Sites and see USAToday's March 6, 2000 article on Crac des Chevaliers Wows Tourists. Crac des Chevaliers is also known as the Qala'at al-Hosn or "Castle of the Knights". A tourist's many excellent photographs show the inner courtyard, hallways and passageways, and exterior and interior walls, and more.

Photo, Paul Artus

 

 

4. Bam, Iran

Photo courtesy of BamJam Tours

This is a picture of the castle-fort at Bam, Iran. Its long wall has 28 towers.

 

Inside the citadel there are lots of buildings: stables, a public bath, a prison, military barracks, two mosques, a caravanserai and more, all molded out of the same red clay. The highest point is the outlook tower.

See many more photographs of the walls and buildings of the Citadel at Bam.

5. Jerusalem

This shows the Damascus Gate into Jerusalem. It was built in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent, the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. The drawing is an antique lithography by the famous painter David Roberts.

• Read a brief description of the Damascus Gate and wall surrounding Jerusalem with its defensive structures. [From Jerusalem Mosaic] The Tower of David in Jerusalem is part of a fort. "The fortress in its present form dates from the Mamluke period (1250-1517 CE) and was renovated by the Ottomans (1517-1917 CE). It was the latter who also built the mosque, its minaret towering over the fortress's western side and creating the distinctive profile." Nineteenth-century European travelers (such as David Roberts who painted the picture above) called the minaret the Tower of David.
• See the Citadel of Jerusalem built by Saladin (who defeated King Richard the Lionheart of England) and other pictures of a great architectural tour of Jerusalem.

 

6. The Citadel of Cairo

See images of the Citadel of Cairo, Egypt. See one gate In 1176, Salah ad-Din fortified the high area to protect it against attacks by the Crusaders. In 1218 Sultan al-Kamil, Salah ad-Din's nephew moved his residence to the Citadel, and it was the seat of government of Egypt until the mid-19th century. See an antique lithograph by David Roberts of the Citadel.

 

7. More Walled Towns

Even towns had walls for protection, and they were usually divided by more walls into "quarters" where one group would live (such as the Christian quarter, the Jewish quarter, etc.).

Towns Like Castles, Geoweb, UCB, by Professor Miller.

Walls and strong gates were built for protection in a violent time. (For another example, see Gate in the City Wall" taken by Professor Miller on his trip in Morocco.)

Castles and walled cities in Turkey are shown in two images, the first near Istanbul and another near Istanbul.

8. Forts and Castles in Spain

• See the beautiful Alcazaba in Malaga, Spain (Andalusia), built in 1057 with its delicate gardens enclosed in strong walls.
• Alcazaba (This site is in Spanish and English) - The Alcazaba is a fortress on a hillside in Muslim Spain (Andalusia). See some good images and read in English about the Muslim fort standing guard near the Strait of Gibraltar.
• Islamic Castle in Málaga, Spain (Andalusia).

Learn more about Castles and Forts: See "Expression of Power" at Islamicart Architecture Site which is a rather long article about castles, forts, and walled cities, and palaces which show "power". Unfortunately there are no pictures to accompany this interesting, but somewhat difficult article. See a castle in Oman on the Red Sea. And see the crumbling fort in the United Arab Emirates called Al Fujairah. See images of the Ribat (fort) of Souse, Tunisia and the exterior of the ribat. It was built in the 9th century (begun in 821) and it is Sousse's oldest monument. This "ribat" is integrated into the Muslim network of forts along the sea shore that extends between Alexandria, Egypt and Ceuta, Morocco. Originally, it served both religious and military purposes because of the Byzantine Christian threat. Learn more about the fort (or citadel) the Ribat in Souse, Tunisia, and the Citadel of Aleppo, Syria at the Cultural Academy site.

Reflection: How are these Castles and Forts similar? How are they different? Why?

Go to Page 1 - Holy Places and Mosques Go to Page 2 - Inside a Mosque Go to Page 3 - Palaces You are here at Page 4 - Castles and Forts Go to Page 5 - Homes Go to Page 6 - Caravanserai Go to Page 7 - Bath houses, Tombs, and Architecture