The Fatal Design of Amasra Castle: Machicolations ⚔️
What is Machicolation - The Invisible Threat from the "Stone Balcony"
- Description: Stone platforms with hollows at the base, overhanging the outside of the bastions with consoles
- Aim: The enemy approaching at the foot of the ramparts directly below shoot; pour arrows, stones, tar, boiling water/oil or lime
- Advantage Defender, by the enemy invisiblearchers shoot from the battlements without retreating
Traces in Amasra
| Location | Feature | Observable Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Genoa Castle | Cantilevered stone projections on the north and west bastions | Still under the stones round drain holes visible |
| Exterior Door (Sormagir) | Double row machicolation above the door arch | Worn grooves, oil-stone flow marks |
| Interior Doorway | Smaller but tightly spaced cavities | Because of the narrowness of the passage "adjacent fire" provides |
Architectural Note: Instead of mortar between console stones in Amasra lead tenon traces are visible; preferred to increase resistance to heat.
How did the "invisible death trap" work?
- The enemy is at the door - Battering rams start breaking down the door.
- Defenders Deploy to the Base - Oil boilers and stone baskets are ready.
- Bulk / Shot - Through openings in the base of the Machicolation full vertical shot is done; the target cannot escape.
- Psychological Collapse - Unable to find cover, soldiers panic and the pace of the siege slows down.
Similar Examples from Anatolia and the World
| Castle | Country / City | Featured Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Yoros Castle | Turkey / Istanbul | Genoese three-span machicolation |
| Bodrum Castle | Turkey / Mugla | The hollow platforms of the French Knights in the Saint-Jean tower |
| Bodiam Castle | England / Sussex | Double-deck machicolation on the gate bridge |
| Château de Carcassonne | France / Occitanie | 34 cantilevered balconies from the 12th century |
| Krak des Chevaliers | Syria / Homs | Continuous machicolation belt overlooking the inner courtyard |
| Palma de Mallorca Cathedral | Spain / Balearic | Gothic-style alcoves in the outer wall line |
Strategic Layer
- Steep Slope + Narrow Passage + Machicolation the combination will make Amasra "impregnable harbor" into a man.
- Byzantine and Genoese commanders used this system to protect the Black Sea trade route. multiple lines of defense with
History Engraved on Stones
Today, when you look down the battlements, you can see oil glassy layersurfaces that have been heated by fire hundreds of times. Amasra Castle is not just a landscape, The cold genius of medieval war engineering you watch.
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