CILDIR

Cildir is a town in the province of Ardahan but is close enough to Kars to fall within the scope of this book. It is a one hour drive from Kars and worth visiting for its lake as well as historical sights.

Seytan Castle
After Cildir, follow the Ardahan road to the village of Yildirim Tepe. The Devil’s Castle is four kilometers beyond the village and can only be reached on foot. Its location and architectural characteristics suggest that it was an Urartu castle. The name derives from Alviz (Albiz), which meant devil in old Turkish. There is a cistern, a supply depot and pieces of schrapnel inside this castle, which was built on a steep peninsula by the side of the Karacay Stream.

Akcakale Island
This island in the northern part of Cildir Lake adds to the attraction of the lake due to its pre-historic past. Besides its natural beauties, Akcakale Island is a first-class archeological site. The constructions on the island are called cromlechs, and they are megalithic mounuments formed by building stones around another stone in the middle. Archaeologists say these stone monuments are unique in the east, and are believed to have been derived from European culture.

Cildir nail article  Photograph: Yildirim Ozturkkan