Foça Castle (Turkish:Foça Kalesi), also known asBeşkapılar Castle (Turkish:Beşkapılar Kalesi), is a coastal fortification inİzmir Province, western Turkey.
The castle is located inFoçailçe (district) of İzmir Province at38°40′08″N26°45′03″E / 38.66889°N 26.75083°E /38.66889; 26.75083. Its distance toİzmir is about 55 kilometres (34 mi).
The fortification wall around the ancient city ofPhocaea was built in 590-580 BC. The walls underwent restoration during theByzantine Empire era. The castle was a part of theRepublic of Genoa in the 13th century, and it was rebuilt by the Genovese.[1] In the 14th century,Ottoman princeŞehzade Halil was kidnapped and retained in the castle. The fortification was restored in 1538 by Ottomans after the city was annexed.
The castle stretches over the peninsula.Athena temple marks the northernmost end and the five gates collectively known as Beşkapılar (“Five Gates”) mark the southwestern end. Beşkapılar was used as a boatshed (Turkish:Kayıkhane) during the Ottoman Empire.[2]
In 2020, Foça Castle was included in thelist of World Heritage Sites in Turkey (Tentative list).[3]
