A Century Long of Fortification Efforts in the Saros Gulf of the Ottoman State (1730-1832)

Abstract

In the 17^th century, there were still some ancient military structures in the Gulf of Saros, but they were not used by the Ottoman State. In the 18^th century, new military units were needed to prevent smuggling and public order problems in the gulf. In this context, the New Megariz Castle (Kale-i Cedîd) was built on the island in the gulf. The attacks of the Russian navy in the second half of the century and the security problems in the Mediterranean with Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt at the end of the century required some new military measures in the Saros Gulf. In this context, according to the fortification policy of the Selim III period, some new bastions were built on the island in 1799 and the bastions of Ibrice Port, Karaçalıaltı, Bakla Burnu and Kabatepe were built on the coast of the gulf. At the beginning of the 19^th century, during the Ottoman-Russian wars and especially during the Greek uprising of 1821, the fortifications of the Saros Gulf were repaired, supplied with ammunition and manpower so that they could be active at all times. However, due to some military indiscipline, the desired efficiency could not be achieved. In the 1830s, the Ottoman State preferred to concentrate its power in the Dardanelles due to the financial, military and administrative problems of the military structures in the Gulf. In the second half of the 19^th century, the Saros Gulf came to the fore with its socioeconomic characteristics rather than its military importance.

The aim of this study is to identify the locations, names and histories of the Saros Gulf fortifications that have not survived to the present day, and to contribute to the literature on the Ottoman fortification reforms of the 18^th century.