Kadifekale Ancient Settlement (Pagos)

Konak / İzmir

Kadifekale Ancient Settlement (Pagos)

Dominating the Gulf of Izmir, located on a hill at the foot of Mount Pagos, 186 m high in the south of the city, the castle was first built in 334 BC at the request of the Macedonian King Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), who liberated Anatolia from Persian rule. It is stated in ancient sources that there was a Lelegian settlement at the place where this castle was built by the order of the Emperor. However, no finds were found during the excavations here to prove this claim. Throughout the history, Izmir was attacked by various attacks and therefore the city needed to be surrounded by ramparts. For this reason, two ramparts, traces of which are encountered in Kadifekale, extending from the Acropolis to the Sart road in today's Basmane district and from the Ephesus road in Eşrefpaşa to the sea were built. After the Roman period, the castle was destroyed in 1402 by the Timurian armies in the Middle Ages, followed by the earthquake in Izmir in 1668. Very few remains have survived from the castle. Remains that survive today belong mostly to the Middle Ages. During the researches conducted under the medieval castle walls, wall remains belonging to the Hellenistic period (330 BC - 20 AD) were encountered. A large part of this castle, which was mentioned by travelers who came to Izmir in the 19th century, has disappeared. From the remains that have survived, it is understood that the castle was built of rubble stone, cut stone and brick. From Kadifekale, only five towers to the west of the castle and a part of its walls to the south stand still. Based on these, it is understood that the length of the castle is 6 km. and the towers supporting the city walls are 20-35 m high. The eastern and northern parts of the castle except for the above-stated were completely destroyed. Inside the castle, there are a vestibule and the remains of a water cistern. The cistern is made of rubble stone and brick. The interior of the cistern, which is filled with soil, is divided into sections with round arched pillars of bricks. As a result of the excavations carried out in the second half of the 20th century, the entire cistern was unearthed in good condition. A part of the Kadifekale city walls were demolished by Çelebi Mehmet. Only one or two of the rectangular pieces (very large stones) from the walls in the east direction can be seen at the beginning of the road leading to Altınpark from Basmane Station to Tilkilik.

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