Akçakale stands on a terrace commanding the sea, 18 kilometres west of Trabzon, and it takes its name from the castle there. The castle is thought to have been built between 1297 and 1330 by the emperor Alexios II, as protection against the Seljuks, and it was repaired in the Ottoman period after the conquest of Trabzon.
It is built of rubble and cut stone. Many parts of it have fallen, but what remains has not moved far from its original appearance; the floors between the storeys were of wood, which is why those parts have not survived.
Getting there
- Access
- Akcakale is 18 km west of Trabzon.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Trabzon as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 7.3 °C in February to 23.5 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in October (113 mm) and lightest in July (37 mm). Long-term means for 1927-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
