Seyifler Kalesi

Seyifler Castle is a small Byzantine castle in the north of Ferizli district, just south of Seyifler, at the point where the Sakarya River and the Çark Suyu stream come close to each other. Its construction date is not known for certain, and the sources believe the castle was built in the 12th or 13th century. The castle measures roughly 80 by 80 metres and is therefore counted as a small frontier fortress. It stands on peninsula-shaped ground between the two watercourses. This strategic area is said to have been called Mesonesion, meaning Middle Island, in antiquity. To understand the location of the castle you need to know the Çark Suyu. This stream rises at Gölbaşı east of Lake Sapanca, carries the lake's surplus water and, after flowing for about 45 kilometres, joins the Sakarya River near Seyifler. The Culture Portal states that the castle was built very close to both rivers on the road between the Black Sea and Adapazarı, probably to secure the bridges over the Çark Suyu and the Sakarya River. The tourism brochure of the Metropolitan Municipality also stresses that the castle's important strategic position explains its imposing architecture. Seyifler is one of the frontier guard and control towers that Byzantium lined up along the Sakarya. Among the other links of the same line, the Culture Portal lists Harmantepe Castle, the castle near Poyrazlar that is now completely destroyed, the castles on the Domuztepe and Tersiye hills, Adliye Castle and Kurtköy Castle at Sapanca. Çobankale, which held the pass in the Geyve Gorge, and the Pahalar and Mekece castles in Pamukova are also part of this chain. Seyifler is built in the same manner as Harmantepe Castle; no brick was used, and the faced stone walls were filled with rubble. The surviving part consists of two towers set about 10 metres apart on the bank of the stream, with a stretch of curtain wall between them. These two semicircular towers on the west and north sides of the castle are still standing. In the area behind them, which is used as farmland, you can see the largely collapsed remains of thick walls and traces of foundations. The castle's place in Ottoman history goes back to the founding period. Also known in the sources as Kara Çepiş, Seyifler was considered important, together with Harmantepe, for the conquest of the lands north of the river. It is reported that Akça Koca proposed the conquest of these castles to Orhan Bey. After the conquest the castle became Orhan Gazi's base and was used in the campaigns toward the Black Sea coast, the west and the southeast. According to the sources, with the taking of the Kaynarca, Mağara and Karasu castles alongside Seyifler, the Ottomans reached the Kocaali and Karasu coasts as early as the summer of 1304. Today the castle is neglected and its walls are covered with ivy and trees. In reports in the local press, residents of the neighbourhood described stones falling from time to time and expressed their wish to see the building restored and opened to visitors. For this reason, think of the castle not as an organised archaeological site but as a trace of history left to itself in the countryside. The castle is at the entrance to Seyifler and about 30 kilometres from the city centre. The Culture Portal says it can be reached by local public transport, but a private car is more practical if you want to see the other castles in the area on the same day. Be careful when you approach the walls and do not climb the ruins, because of loose stones and dense vegetation. The area behind the remains is used as farmland, so do not walk onto planted fields. Vegetation thickens in summer, so the texture of the masonry is easier to see in spring or autumn. Compare the pattern of the facing stones with the rubble fill between them on the wall face, because the collapsed sections clearly show how a Byzantine wall was built up layer by layer. Visiting Seyifler together with Harmantepe Castle to the south means seeing two different faces of the same defensive line. Harmantepe has kept most of its plan, while only two towers and one section of wall remain at Seyifler. The river flows for about 159.5 kilometres within the borders of Sakarya province, and Seyifler stands close to the last part of this journey. From here the road that follows the river north brings you to the place in Karasu where the Sakarya River meets the sea.