Palu Kalesi
94.6 km · Palu Castle is a historical castle located in the Palu district of Elazığ. Built on rock, the castle dates back to the Urartian period. It was built by the Urartian king Menuas. The steep structure of the north and west of the castle, whose south and southeast sections are surrounded by the Murat River, has made the castle naturally defensible and difficult to capture. The castle contains the Urartian Inscription, written in cuneiform script from the Urartian Period, approximately 3,000 years old, Urartian Rock Tunnels, Urartian Rock Tombs, Urartian Rock Stairs, Urartian Temples and worship niches, and water cisterns. Additionally, there are palaces, military buildings, and castle walls built by the Artuqids, Seljuks, and Ottomans. In Evliya Çelebi's work Seyahatnâme, the castle is referred to as "a castle that stretches its head to the sky." Rubble stones were used in the walls and some structures on the castle.
