Özet:

Manisa Castle located on the northern slope of the Mount Spil (formerly known as Sipylus) overlooking the Gediz Valley. The castle consists of two main parts: ‘citadel’ on the top of the hill and ‘outer wall’ (i.e. outer castle, bailey) on the hillside and extending in parallel to Manisa city. The oldest name of the city is Magnesia and the exact date of its foundation is unknown. Manisa was an important military base and, later, a center of the bishopric during the Byzantine period until it was captured by Saruhan Bey in the early 14th century. The city was incorporated into the Ottoman Beylik in the early 15th century. The Manisa Castle hosted significant cultures and survived to our time, unfortunately, largely ruined. The castle was extensively researched but still needs further examination. The aim of this study is to determine and document the castle, survey the walls that indicate to different periods, examine the structures inside the castle and their functions. In this context, the latest situation of the castle, its inner and outer walls have been retained. We can say that the castle has three main stages. The cyclopean masonry, which was made from large stone blocks without mortar, represents the earliest stage. Although sporadically, traces of the cyclopean walls are still visible along the outer Wall. Byzantine architecture dominates the Manisa Castle. The extant part of the castle was shaped by the repairs and additions performed during the period of John III Doukas Vatatzes. Manisa gained importance after the 12th century in the Byzantine period and became the center of imperial treasury and mint during the reign of Laskarids. Moreover, sources write that John III Doukas Vatatzes built a palace within the citadel. In line with the information, the survey was focused on terraces and structure remains in the outer wall. High and long retaining walls, the terraces they form, and regularly placed corbels on the retaining walls are striking. Balconies and loggias carried by corbels were frequently used in the Byzantine palace architecture. Corbeled retaining walls and terraces of outer castle suggest that the palace in the Manisa Castle might be in the outer castle. When Saruhan Bey captured the city in 1313, Fetih Mosque and an adjacent fountain were built in the outer wall. The mosque’s location indicates that the initial Turkish settlement was inside the walls, which were repaired during the Turkish period. These repairs were documented in both architectural data and the archived data.

Anahtar Kelimeler: