Şile Castle | |
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Şile Kalesi | |
Şile, Istanbul, Turkey | |
Coordinates | 41°10′53″N 29°36′33″E / 41.18144°N 29.60912°E |
Type | Fortress |
Şile Castle ( Turkish: Şile Kalesi) or Ocaklı Ada Castle is a castle located on Ocaklı Island in the Şile district of Istanbul. [1] It was criticized for its appearance after the restoration of 2015 because it looked like SpongeBob SquarePants. [2]
There are two different claims about the history of the building, which was built as a watchtower. According to the claim accepted today, it was built 1000 years ago by the Genoese. [3] According to another claim, it was built by the Eastern Roman Empire and later used by the Ottomans. The castle, which was taken over by the Genoese in 1305, [4] was conquered by the Ottoman army under the command of Yıldırım Bayezid in 1396. [5] The castle has been repaired at least twice throughout history.