MUS TURKEY
15.04.2021
Muş
The cityof Muş is built on the north slopes of Kurtik Mountain –an important peak of the Haçreş Mountains, which are an extensionof the Southeast Taurus Mountains – and between the valleyswhere the Çat and Karni Streams flow. With a long history and manycivilizations, Muş is home to dozens of historical sites and acultural heritage that is worth seeing.
Muş Castle
Muş Castle (Muş Kalesi) is in the citycentre of Muş. Although the castle is believed to be one of the oldestbuildings in the city, its date of construction is not known. What is known isthat the castle witnessed many battles following the Mongol invasion inthe mid-seventh century, during the time of Caliph Osman (Uthman). Destroyedcemeteries can be observed on the west side of the castle. This area has beenmade into a park by the Muş Municipality and is one of the most popularrecreation areas for Muş residents.
Muş Grand Mosque
The mosque was constructed on a slope at the foot ofthe Muş Castle in 1571, according to theinscription on the entrance door. The original minaret of the transverselyrectangular mosque has not survived. However, the new minaret, being loyal tothe original, was built by the General Directorate of Foundations in1968.
Malazgirt District
The establishment of Malazgirt datesto ancient times. Allegedly Menuas, an Urartian king,established a city here. Malazgirt is an important and historical district asit is was the entrance gate into Anatolia for the Turks following the Battleof Malazgirt in 1071.
Malazgirt Castle
The majestic Malazgirt Castle (MalazgirtKalesi), in Malazgirt, has two parallel ramparts surroundingthe town. The castle saw numerous battles, both in the early period of Islam andduring the Byzantine period. Even though the walls of thecastle were deteriorated over time, much of it has been repaired and itcontinues to stand today.
Varto District
Varto is a district in northwest Muş.Dating to antiquity and carrying a part of history in every residential area,the known history of Varto begins with one of the great civilizations ofAnatolia, the Urartian period. In the district, importanthistorical remains from the Urartian periods include Kayalıdere Castle,Temple, Hırsız Castle, rock cemeteries and inscriptions in BoyluVillage, tombstones in Oğlakçı Village, and the KaynarcaBridge.
Varto Kayalıdere Archaeological Site (Old Town)
The archaeological site is in KayalıkayaVillage, 20 km from Varto. The region was an Urartu settlement;the castle dates from the reign of Sarduri II, King of Urartu (764-735BCE) and is quite solid and in good condition. This ancient site was discoveredduring excavations in 1965. A castle, temple, wine cellar, tombs and small itemswere unearthed during the excavations. Bronze lion statues, buttons,arrowheads, bronze needles and arch fragments with lion-hunting depictions werealso found in the castle courtyard. These historical assets are now exhibitedin the Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum.
Historical Murat Bridge
Built in the Seljuk period, the exactconstruction date of the Historical Murat Bridge (Tarihi Murat Köprüsü) isnot known. The bridge is 143 meters long, 4.77 meters wide, and 16-18 meters inheight. The bridge is actively used today.
Alaaddin Bey Mosque
The Alaaddin Bey Mosque (Alaaddin Bey Cami) was built in theearly 18th century by Alaeddin Bey, the city´s governor at thattime. The main layout of the mosque is square and it has nine naves. The altar(mihrab) in the middle nave features a rectangular wall column and plantpatterns. There are oil lamp relief patterns on the sides of the crown door.The minaret of the mosque is cylindrical with a square base; it is made oftwo-colour cut stone.
Alaaddin Bey Turkish Bath
Located in the Muş city centre, thebath is still in use today, is one of the late Ottoman works.Plant patterns were used in the interior decoration of the structure, which issimilar to the Alaaddin Bey Mosque in terms ofbuilding materials and architectural features. An interesting feature of thebath is a tortoise relief at the entrance of the large lodge.
Yağcılar (Evran) Tumulus
Located in Yağcılar Town, the moundis not fully visible due to both the dense settlement built on it and thesurrounding buildings. Before Yağcılar Tumulus (Yağcılar Höyüğü) located24 km north-west of Muş, on the Muş-Elazığ road, was within the borders ofYağcılar Town. The dense ceramic fragments found above and around the moundsuggest that the region was a settlement during the Urartu period.
Hasbet Castle
Hasbet Castle (Hasbet Kalesi) is located on a slopein the eastern extension of the Kızıl Ziyaret Mountain in thesouth of Muş. The ramparts and two towers of the castle remainsound. The exact construction date of the castle is not known.
Muşet Castle
Muşet Castle (Muşet Kalesi) is on the KızılZiyaret Mountain south of the city. It is believed that the castlebelongs to the Urartu period. It is estimated that the castle,is believed to have been used as a fortress during the Middle Ages
Katerin Castle
Katerin Castle (Katerin Kale), also known as ZincirliCastle (Zincirli Kale), is located on Katerin Mountain inthe Malazgirt district. The castle is a Byzantine pieceof art. Legend has it that Malazgirt Castle and Katerin Castle were onceconnected to each other via a bridge made of thick chains.
Tıkızlı Castle
The Tıkızlı Castle (Tıkızlı Kale) is in TikizliVillage in the Malazgirt district. Thecastle was built by the Urartians – apparently there was nomortar used in constructing the hilltop castle, which was built with largestones.
Bostankale Castle
Bostankale is 10 km from Malazgirt. Surfacesurveys determined that the castle belonged to the Urartians. Thecastle is a rock-cut structure.
Arak Monastery
The Arak Monastery (Arak Manastırı) was built on theeastern side of a peak of the Karaçavuş Mountains. Arak (Kepenek)Village, having given its name to the monastery, is located at the foot ofthe peak. The word arak means wine in Persian, which suggests that grapes werestored in the village and the production of grape juice took place.
Built on a wide plain, the monastery features alarge Bell Tower, about 200-250 meters from thestructure. The monastery’s Roman style workmanship andbuilding materials are a standout. Rumor has it that, in the region, whichwitnessed the Roman-Sassanid struggle and remained under Sassanid rulefor 400 years (CE 226-624), Sassanids hired Roman architects and craftsmen tobuild this monastery as a gesture of goodwill and strength and granted it tothe Romans as a present.
Çengilli (Beyaz) Church
The Çengilli (Çanlı Surp Garabet) Church (ÇengelliKilisesi), locatedwithin the borders of Çengilli Village in the city centreof Muş, was used as a fire temple in antiquity. The church wasturned into a sanctuary for Christians in CE 399 by the Sassanids,who reigned after the Roman period. The church in the villagecentre takes its name Beyaz (which means white) from thematerial used in its construction.
Esenlik Mosque
The mosque, located in Esenlik Village inthe Bulanık district, is a Seljuk work. Itwas built by Sheikh Abdülmelik in 1194 from ignimbriteregionally called as Ahlat stone. The mosque has a single dome, four windows,and two doors. There are also four small windows on its dome.