Torul Castle & Glass Terrace

Torul Castle rises on a steep rocky outcrop overlooking the town of Torul in Gümüşhane province, in Turkey's Eastern Black Sea region.

History & Conquest

Its origins are traced to Genoese merchants who, during the era of the Fourth Crusade, sought to control the trade route running inland from Trabzon; in some sources it is also called Zegan or Zigana Castle. In the post-Byzantine period it served as a residence of the Georgian-origin Kabazites family, vassals of the Empire of Trebizond, and in the early fifteenth century it housed local nobles such as Duke Cyril Cabasica. The castle was conquered in 1479 by Rakkas Sinan Bey, acting on the orders of Prince Bayezid, governor of Amasya, in accordance with a decree of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. It is remembered as the last stronghold in the Haldia region to fall under Ottoman rule.

Architecture & Glass Terrace

Architecturally, the walls were built of rubble and dressed stone bound with lime mortar, their earthy tones blending into the surrounding cliff; wall heights range between three and five metres. Part of the structure once functioned as a fire-beacon tower for communication. Although the fortress today survives largely as a ruin, its most striking feature is the glass observation terrace built between 2016 and 2018. Suspended 240 metres above the valley floor, the reinforced glass platform covers 90 square metres and can hold up to fifty visitors at once, ranking among the highest glass skywalks in Turkey and Europe. From the terrace, visitors take in sweeping panoramas of the Harşit valley, the town centre and the surrounding mountains, while a giant Turkish flag on a 45-metre pole adds a symbolic flourish. Since opening, the terrace has drawn hundreds of thousands of guests, with more than 380,000 recorded in its first two years.

Visiting, Access & Route

Agencies favour Torul Castle chiefly because it lies just a couple of kilometres off the Trabzon-Gümüşhane highway, on the same corridor as the Zigana Tunnel and Karaca Cave, making it a convenient coach stop. The average visit lasts 45 to 60 minutes, and guided itineraries usually combine it with Karaca Cave and the Zigana Pass in a single day. The most dramatic photographs are captured looking down the valley from the glass floor, especially at sunset. Late spring through autumn is the ideal season, as snow and fog can complicate winter access, while summer forms the peak period. The recommended route is the inland Eastern Black Sea loop that links Karaca Cave, the Torul glass terrace and the Zigana Pass in one day out of central Gümüşhane.