{"id":17124,"date":"2025-06-29T12:47:30","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T09:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/?p=17124"},"modified":"2025-06-29T12:52:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T09:52:42","slug":"amasra-castles-fatal-design-machicolations-invisible-from-the-stone-balcony-tehdit%e2%9a%94%ef%b8%8f","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/amasra-kalesinin-olumcul-tasarimi-machicolations-tas-balkondan-gelen-gorunmez-tehdit%e2%9a%94%ef%b8%8f\/","title":{"rendered":"The Fatal Design of Amasra Castle: Machicolations Invisible from the \"Stone Balcony\" Tehdit\u2694\ufe0f"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Fatal Design of Amasra Castle: Machicolations<\/strong> \u2694\ufe0f<\/h3>\n
\n

What is Machicolation - The Invisible Threat from the \"Stone Balcony\"<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  • Description:<\/strong> Stone platforms with hollows at the base, overhanging the outside of the bastions with consoles<\/li>\n
  • Aim:<\/strong> The enemy approaching at the foot of the ramparts directly below<\/strong> shoot; pour arrows, stones, tar, boiling water\/oil or lime<\/li>\n
  • Advantage<\/strong> Defender, by the enemy invisible<\/strong>archers shoot from the battlements without retreating<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    Traces in Amasra<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Location<\/th>\nFeature<\/th>\nObservable Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Genoa Castle<\/strong><\/td>\nCantilevered stone projections on the north and west bastions<\/td>\nStill under the stones round drain holes<\/strong> visible<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Exterior Door (Sormagir)<\/strong><\/td>\nDouble row machicolation above the door arch<\/td>\nWorn grooves, oil-stone flow marks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Interior Doorway<\/strong><\/td>\nSmaller but tightly spaced cavities<\/td>\nBecause of the narrowness of the passage \"adjacent fire\"<\/strong> provides<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Architectural Note:<\/strong> Instead of mortar between console stones in Amasra lead tenon<\/strong> traces are visible; preferred to increase resistance to heat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \n

    How did the \"invisible death trap\" work?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
      \n
    1. The enemy is at the door<\/strong> - Battering rams start breaking down the door.<\/li>\n
    2. Defenders Deploy to the Base<\/strong> - Oil boilers and stone baskets are ready.<\/li>\n
    3. Bulk \/ Shot<\/strong> - Through openings in the base of the Machicolation full vertical shot<\/strong> is done; the target cannot escape.<\/li>\n
    4. Psychological Collapse<\/strong> - Unable to find cover, soldiers panic and the pace of the siege slows down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n

      Similar Examples from Anatolia and the World<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Castle<\/th>\nCountry \/ City<\/th>\nFeatured Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      Yoros Castle<\/strong><\/td>\nTurkey \/ Istanbul<\/td>\nGenoese three-span machicolation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Bodrum Castle<\/strong><\/td>\nTurkey \/ Mugla<\/td>\nThe hollow platforms of the French Knights in the Saint-Jean tower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Bodiam Castle<\/strong><\/td>\nEngland \/ Sussex<\/td>\nDouble-deck machicolation on the gate bridge<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Ch\u00e2teau de Carcassonne<\/strong><\/td>\nFrance \/ Occitanie<\/td>\n34 cantilevered balconies from the 12th century<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Krak des Chevaliers<\/strong><\/td>\nSyria \/ Homs<\/td>\nContinuous machicolation belt overlooking the inner courtyard<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Palma de Mallorca Cathedral<\/strong><\/td>\nSpain \/ Balearic<\/td>\nGothic-style alcoves in the outer wall line<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
      \n

      Strategic Layer<\/strong><\/h4>\n
        \n
      • Steep Slope + Narrow Passage + Machicolation<\/strong> the combination will make Amasra \"impregnable harbor\"<\/strong> into a man.<\/li>\n
      • Byzantine and Genoese commanders used this system to protect the Black Sea trade route. multiple lines of defense<\/strong> with<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n

        History Engraved on Stones<\/strong><\/h4>\n

        Today, when you look down the battlements, you can see oil glassy layer<\/strong>surfaces that have been heated by fire hundreds of times. Amasra Castle is not just a landscape, The cold genius of medieval war engineering<\/strong> you watch.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Amasra Kalesi\u2019nin \u00d6l\u00fcmc\u00fcl Tasar\u0131m\u0131: Machicolations \u2694\ufe0f Machicolation Nedir? \u2013 \u201cTa\u015f Balkondan\u201d Gelen G\u00f6r\u00fcnmez Tehdit Tan\u0131m: Bur\u00e7lar\u0131n d\u0131\u015f\u0131na konsollarla ta\u015fan, taban\u0131nda oyuklar bulunan ta\u015f platformlar Ama\u00e7: Surlar\u0131n dibine yana\u015fan d\u00fc\u015fman\u0131 do\u011frudan a\u015fa\u011f\u0131dan vurmak; ok, ta\u015f, katran, kaynar su \/ ya\u011f veya kire\u00e7 d\u00f6kmek Avantaj: Savunmac\u0131, d\u00fc\u015fman taraf\u0131ndan g\u00f6r\u00fclmez; ok\u00e7ular mazgallardan geri \u00e7ekilmeden ate\u015f eder Amasra\u2019daki \u0130zler […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36844],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-amasra-arastirmalari"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amasra.com.tr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}