Rumkale

The Qal'at ar-Rum ( _ar. قلعة الروم) was a powerful fortress on the river Euphrates, 50 km northeast of Gaziantep, Turkey. It is called Rumkale in Turkish, Hromgla in Armenian; the term meaning "Roman Castle ("by extension also Byzantine")" in all cases.

Its strategic location was already known to the Assyrians, although the present structure is largely Hellenistic and Roman in origin. The site was occupied by various Byzantine and Armenian warlords during the Middle Ages. Qal'at ar-Rum served as the seat of an Armenian patriarch from the 12th century. From 1203 to 1293 it was the residence of the supreme head (catholicos) of the reunified Armenian church. In 1293 it was captured by the Mamluks of Egypt following a protracted siege.

The fortress, now situated across a peninsula created by the reservoir of Birecik Dam and within the administrative boundaries of Gaziantep's Yavuzeli district, is currently accessible by boat either from the neighboring site of Zeugma or from the town of Halfeti.

External links

* [http://www.rumkale.org/english.php www.rumkale.org Rumkale project web site]