Pertek Castle: The Island Fortress of Keban Lake

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1. What is Pertek Castle?
2. How do you get to Pertek Castle?
3. When is the best time to visit Pertek Castle?
4. What is the history of Pertek Castle?
5. What is Pertek Castle famous for?
6. What can you see at Pertek Castle?
7. Frequently asked questions about Pertek Castle
8. What do the official records say about Pertek Castle?

What is Pertek Castle?

Pertek Castle (Pertek Kalesi) is a medieval fortress built on a sharp rock above the Murat valley in the south of Tunceli province. When the Keban Dam was filled in 1974, the water rose around the rock, and the castle now stands alone in the reservoir like a ship, its walls rising straight from the water.

It is the most photographed sight in Tunceli and the first thing many visitors see of the province, since it lies close to the car-ferry crossing that links Pertek with Elazığ.

How do you get to Pertek Castle?

Pertek is 51 km south of Tunceli city by road. Opening hours change through the year, so check them before you visit. The castle is clearly visible from the Pertek shore and from the lake.

Because it stands on an island, close views of the walls depend on getting onto the water. Ask in Pertek about boats; we could not confirm a scheduled boat service to the island.

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When is the best time to visit Pertek Castle?

Spring to autumn. In July the Pertek Mulberry Festival brings activities in the town and on the lake, and the orchards along the shore are at their greenest in early summer. Water levels in the reservoir vary through the year, which changes how much of the rock shows. Late afternoon light on the stone, with the lake behind, gives the best photographs.

What is the history of Pertek Castle?

The 2002 inventory states that Pertek Castle was built in the Mengücek period. The Mengücek beys were a Turkish dynasty that ruled parts of eastern Anatolia, including Erzincan and Divriği, between the late 11th and the 13th centuries, and the current structure is dated to their time. Some archaeologists have suggested an older, Urartian origin for the site, pointing to how the rock was shaped, and propose that it controlled access to nearby mines, especially copper. Local histories also preserve a story, recorded by the Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi, about a bronze falcon statue on its walls.

Under the Ottomans the castle was repaired and rebuilt, probably in the 16th century. It stood on its rock above the valley until the 1970s, when the Keban Dam on the Euphrates flooded the surrounding land in 1974 and left the castle on an island.

What is Pertek Castle famous for?

• The island view. A castle rising out of open water is rare in Anatolia, and the sight from the Pertek shore and the ferry is what most people come for.
• The Keban story. The castle is a reminder of how the dam reshaped the valley: the old Pertek–Elazığ bridge and the fields of the valley floor now lie under the water.
• Pertek’s orchards. The inventory describes Pertek, stretched along the shore of the reservoir, as looking like an orchard worked with a thousand shades of green.

What can you see at Pertek Castle?

The walls on the rock. The inventory describes the castle as founded on a pointed rock. Its walls follow the outline of the rock, with towers on the more exposed sides.

The reservoir. From the shore and from the ferry you can see how far the water extends; the castle sits in a wide stretch of the Keban lake, with the Elazığ shore on the far side.

Pertek town. The district centre above the shore has orchards and mulberry trees. Mulberries, fresh in early summer and dried or made into pekmez the rest of the year, are the local product.

Çemişgezek. Further west along the reservoir, Çemişgezek’s old mosques make a good continuation; a boat service also links Çemişgezek-Akçapınar with the Elazığ shore at Fatmalı, according to the directorate.

Frequently asked questions about Pertek Castle

What do the official records say about Pertek Castle?

Pertek Castle in Pertek district was built in the Mengücek period. The castle, which today lies under the Keban Dam Lake and has the appearance of an island, was founded on top of a pointed rock. In Mazgirt district there are many castle remains belonging to the Urartian period. These are Mazgirt Castle and the Dedebağ, Kaleköy and Sağman castles.

The district of Pertek, which stretches along the shore of the Keban Dam Lake and looks like an orchard worked with a thousand shades of green, is a town that has made a name for itself with its natural beauty. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Tunceli Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)

Main photo: Hüseyin Yıldız, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.