Yeni-Kale

Yeni-Kale
Yenikale
Crimea
Yeni-Kale's tower
Yeni-Kale
Coordinates	45°21′01″N 36°36′03″E / 45.3503°N 36.6007°E / 45.3503; 36.6007
Site information
Open to the public	yes
Condition	ruins
Site history
Built	1706 (1706)
Built by	Goloppo
Materials	Stone

Yeni-Kale (Ukrainian: Єні-Кале; Russian: Еникале; Turkish: Yenikale; Crimean Tatar: Yeñi Qale, also spelled as Yenikale and Eni-Kale) is a fortress on the shore of Kerch Strait in the city of Kerch.

Yeni-Kale was built by Ottoman Turks in 1699–1706 on the Kerch peninsula that belonged to the Crimean Khanate. The name Yenikale means New Fortress in Turkish (yeni - new, kale - fortress). The fortress was built under the guidance of Goloppo, who was an Italian convert to Islam. Several French engineers also took part in the construction.

Yeni-Kale was armed with powerful cannons and took an important strategical place on the coast of Kerch Strait. The fortress occupied area of 25,000 m² and had two powder-magazines, arsenal, water reservoir, living houses, bath-house and mosque. About 800 Turkish and 300 Crimean Tatar soldiers were garrisoned in Yeni-Kale. The weak spot of the fortress was a lack of drinking water in the area, so an underground water-pipe was made to bring water from a source located several kilometres away from the fortress. Yeni-Kale also served as a residence of the pasha.

During the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 the Russian Army invaded Crimea in the summer of 1771. Though reinforcements from the Ottoman Empire had arrived beforehand, the Turks decided to abandon Yeni-Kale. Russian units under command of general Nikolay Borzov entered the fortress on 21 June 1771.Abaza Muhammad Pasha who was a commandant of Yeni-Kale fled to Sinop and the sultan sentenced him to death for the number of military failures.