A STRATEGIC POINT ON THE EASTERN ROMAN BORDER: ADILCEVAZ

Adilcevaz Castle is located on a dominant hill with a steep slope on the edge of Lake Van in Adilcevaz district of Bitlis province today. This hilly area is the low elevation extensions of the volcanic mountain formation, most of which covers the borders of Bitlis province, descending into the lake. The hill on which the castle was built is connected to the main rock only with a narrow passage from the north while possesses extremely steep slopes on the east, west and south . At first glance, the volcanic rock fleets on the east and west give the impression that they clamped the hill on two sides . These slopes resembling steep walls are actually the reason why the castle was built here . The traces show that there was a continuous settlement on the hill accompanied by a fortification since the early times and as the settlement expanded, with the new additions to the fortification, the whole area turned into a fortified urban center. During the late Roman - early Byzantine period, Adilcevaz was one of the frontier fortifications of the Eastern Roman Empire and the center of the diocese and due to its geographic location it was also located on an important road network. The secondary main road from Edessa to Ani and from there to the North was running through Adilcevaz. So the city has changed hands among many civilizations throughout the history, the walls protecting the settlement were destroyed in the wars and repaired. In addition, earthquakes in various periods also caused the city walls to collapse. Although most of the walls have been demolished today, three phases were identified according to the construction technique, inscriptions and additional traces.