Keçivan Castle (Tunçkaya Castle)

Keçivan Castle is a historical defensive structure and settlement located in the village of Tunçkaya, within the Kağızman district of Kars. Situated 40 kilometers northwest of the district center, at the foot of Aladağ, the castle once served as a provincial administrative center. The settlement where the castle stands has been known in sources and local tradition as "Keçivan", "Geçivan", or "Geçvan", but adopted the name Tunçkaya after 1960. Built on a ridge connecting the Kars Plateau to the Aras Valley, the castle was registered as an immovable cultural heritage site on 17 March 1989.

The exact construction date of the castle is unknown, but it is believed to have been built prior to the Seljuk period. It underwent frequent repairs during the Ottoman Empire era. When examining the historical geography of the region, the area where the castle stands is assessed to have been a settlement known as "Artageyra" around 618 AD, later becoming the estate of the Kamsarakan lords from the Oghuz tribes. The suffixes "Artak", "Artag", or "Arda" found in "Artageyra" and similar place names in the region are thought to be linked to roots associated with Asianic peoples or the Saka.^【1】

The castle also appears in folk narratives and epics. According to legends, it is said to have been one of the summer pastures of Efrasyab, mentioned in stories recounting the battles of Pijen, Seffak, and Efrasyab. Historical sources indicate that the figure known in Persian epics as "Efrasyab, King of Turan", is identified by the Turks as Alp-Er Tonga, the ruler of the Saka Turks, who settled in the Aras region around the 7th century BC.^【2】

Keçivan Castle possesses a natural defensive system. The castle and its internal village settlement are surrounded by basalt ledges ranging in height from 12 to 20 meters. These natural ramparts strengthened the structure’s defenses. Access to and from the castle is provided through the western gate.

The architectural structure of the castle has the following characteristics:

• It is enclosed by walls on all four sides and has two gates.
• On either side of the outer gate, two large semicircular towers extend southward along steep cliffs.
• Support towers are placed every 50 meters along the walls. These towers are generally semicylindrical in form, though some are rectangular in plan.
• The height of the walls exceeds six meters in places.
• Architecturally, the structure resembles Karakale in the region and exhibits typical Seljuk-era features.

^{Keçivan (Tunçkaya) Castle (}Anadolu Agency⁾

The castle area also contains religious structures. These include:

• Mosque: A square-plan mosque is located within the castle. According to some sources, the mosque stood beside the church; today, it is largely in ruins, with only a few walls remaining standing.^【3】
• Church: A rectangular-plan church is situated at the far end of the castle. Built from tuff stone in a basilica plan, it is attributed to the Byzantine period. Much of the exterior decoration of the church has been destroyed. Its construction style differs from the general architecture of the castle.

Today, the village known as Tunçkaya continues to inhabit the area within the historic castle. Although the castle walls and internal historical structures have suffered considerable damage, they still persist. The settlement’s primary livelihood is agriculture and animal husbandry. The castle, along with the Köroğlu Castle and Çengilli Church in Kağızman district, is recognized as one of the region’s significant historical structures.