Search places, or jump to a section
CategoriesFortresses
Walls, citadels and hill forts.
🇱🇻 Latvia · Fortress
Livonian Crusade High Medieval 1214–16th c · Liv (Finnic) sacred hill → Livonian Order brick-gothic (German crusader)
Turaida (Treiden) — brick-gothic Livonian hillfort→castle (built 1214 by Bishop Albert of Riga, Livonian Brothers of Sword) in Gauja National Park, on Gauja River right bank opposite Krimulda, 4 km…
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Second Intermediate to New Kingdom · Hyksos / New Kingdom Egyptian
Tell Heboua Frontier Fort Ways of Horus at Sinai, Tell Heboua, Egypt is a Second Intermediate to New Kingdom ancient city of the Hyksos / New Kingdom Egyptian tradition, built c.
🇪🇬 Egypt · Pyramid
New Kingdom to Ottoman (1500 BCE–1813 CE) · Egyptian, Napatan, Meroitic, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic
Sole major Lower Nubian site surviving inundation, perched on cliff now island in Lake Nasser, continuously occupied from New Kingdom fortress through Napatan citadel, Meroitic town, Roman fort…
🇸🇾 Syria · Fortress
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa (Arabic: كاتدرائية طرطوس) was a Catholic cathedral in the city of Tartus, Syria.
🇵🇪 Peru · Fortress
Formative (Pacopampa Early–Late) · Cupisnique / Chavinoid (Northern Highlands Formative)
Mountaintop ceremonial citadel (1200–500 BCE) on 2430-m Querocoto peak with three massive platforms, sunken courts, elite shaft tomb of Priest of Pacopampa (900 BCE) with gold crow...
🇬🇹 Guatemala · Pyramid
Maya Late Classic to Postclassic Contact · Maya Mam (Huehuetec)
Mam capital Zaculeu (Saqulew) hilltop citadel 5th–1525 CE: 12.3 m Structure 1 step-pyramid plaza, seven pyramid plazas with wall-ditch, over-restored 1940s debated.
🇹🇯 Tajikistan · Fortress
Kushan–Sasanian 1st–7th c → Samanid–Timurid 10th–15th c · Kushan–Sasanian → Samanid → Timurid Pamiri (Darvaz)
Karon — Pamir mountain city-fortress (1st–15th c CE) 2000 m on Darvaz plateau, Panj gorge, excavated 2010s Bobomulloev (Tajik Academy).
🇪🇬 Egypt · Ancient city
Predynastic to Ptolemaic (Naqada to Late) · Egyptian Upper Egyptian → Pharaonic
Walled twin of Hierakonpolis — goddess Nekhbet vulture cult centre and Predynastic to Ptolemaic town with massive mudbrick walls (11 m thick, 500×550 m) dated Early Dynastic (c.3100 BCE) to Late…
🇮🇷 Iran · Fortress
Urartian (c.685–645 BCE Rusa II) · Urartu (Kingdom of Van)
Largest Urartu fortress (100 × 300 m upper citadel, lower town 850 × 350 m) built by Rusa II, with tripartite tower, Haldi temple, pithoi storeroom (huge jars 1,500 L), and inscribed horse trappings…
🇸🇩 Sudan · Ancient city
Middle Kingdom · 12th Dynasty Egyptian
Buhen Fortress Nubia Second Cataract at Nubia, Buhen, Sudan is a Middle Kingdom ancient city of the 12th Dynasty Egyptian tradition, built c. 1850 BCE for great fortress 150 m with moat glacis.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Iron Age (regional) · Iron Age
Northern Aleppo Settlement Inner — Aleppo (53-30) at Aleppo, Syria is a Iron Age (regional) ancient city of the Iron Age tradition, built c. 400 BCE for settlement and associated settlement.
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Neolithic (regional) · Neolithic
New Aleppo Settlement West — Aleppo (53-48) at Aleppo, Syria is a Neolithic (regional) ancient city of the Neolithic tradition, built c. 400 BCE for settlement and associated settlement.
🇮🇶 Iraq · Ancient city
Medieval (regional) · Medieval
Western Eridu Mound I — Eridu (53-37) at Eridu, Iraq is a Medieval (regional) ancient city of the Medieval tradition, built c. 1800 BCE for mound and associated settlement.
🇬🇭 Ghana · Fortress
Early Modern Atlantic (1482–1872 slave trade) · Portuguese / Dutch / Fante
Elmina Castle (São Jorge da Mina) 1482 Portuguese, oldest European building south of Sahara, UNESCO 1979 Forts and Castles of Volta 34. On Elmina peninsula rock.
🇸🇩 Sudan · Pyramid
Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty · Ancient Egyptian
Rectangular eastern counterpart to Semna West across the 500 m Semna gorge, built to close the eastern channel and form a fortified river gateway with coupled gate signals.
🇪🇸 Spain · Fortress
Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) · Iron Age fortified culture
Los Millares — Fort 1 (Almizaraque Sector) in Andalusia, Almería, Santa Fe de Mondújar, Spain is a Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) fortress attribut…
🇸🇾 Syria · Ancient city
Ubaid to Hellenistic (3500 BCE–200 BCE; peak Neo-Assyrian 856–610 BCE) · EBA → Mitanni → Syro-Hittite → Aramean Bit-Adini → Neo-Assyrian
Kar-Shalmaneser lower town 856 BCE — Aramean to Assyrian glazed palace.
🇮🇷 Iran · Fortress
Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) · Iron Age fortified culture
Bampur — Citadel North Bastion (Sistan) in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iranshahr, Bampur, Iran is a Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) fortress attributed …
🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Fortress
Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) · Iron Age fortified culture
Maiden Castle — Inner Rampart East Gate in England, Dorset, Dorchester, United Kingdom is a Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) fortress attributed to I…
🇵🇪 Peru · Ancient city
Late Horizon Inca Resistance 1536–1572 · Inca (Neo-Inca State)
Inca Vilcabamba resistance capital: Rosaspata palace, Yurak Rumi 2.5 m white shrine and Ñusta Hispana.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Fortress
Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) · Iron Age fortified culture
Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) in Van, Gürpınar, Çavuştepe, Turkey is a Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) fortress attributed to Iron A…
🇦🇲 Armenia · Ancient city
Urartian (782 BCE Argishti I) · Urartu
Domineering hill citadel (Arin Berd) whose cuneiform foundation stele says Argishti son of Menua built on empty land and brought 6,600 captives.
🇹🇷 Turkey · Archaeological wonder
Neo-Hittite / Iron Age (c.720–680 BCE) · Neo-Hittite (Adanawa Quwe) / Phoenician
Neo-Hittite fortified retreat of Azatiwada (late 8th c BCE) on Ceyhan River, Karatepe-Aslantaş preserves two gated circuits with 30+ basalt orthostats showing Late Hittite–Phoenician bilingual…
🇲🇷 Mauritania · Ancient city
Aoudaghost (c. 500–1400 CE; Berber–Ghanaian citadel) · Berber (Sanhaja) / Soninke Ghanaian conquest 1055
Berber ksar on Aoukar dune edge, Aoudaghost West preserves citadel, mosque and cavern granaries that stored caravan millet, described by al-Bakri and Ibn Hawqal; Ghana 1055 seizure...
