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Arabat Fortress (Landmark on the Arabat Spit)

Arabat Fortress (Arabat) — historical fortress in the north of the Arabat Spit, mentioned since the 17th century; today — under russian occupation and once again used as a military facility.

Overview

Arabat Fortress — a stone castle with a tower on the isthmus of the Arabat Spit between the Sea of Azov (Tonka Voda Strait) and the Syvash (lagoon). The name of the fortress and the entire spit comes from the Arabic word rabat / arabat, which means "military camp" or "military post". The fortification did not function as an urban citadel or knightly castle, but represented a utilitarian fort built by the Ottomans to control the military route along the spit. The exact time of initial construction is unknown, however the fortress was rebuilt multiple times. After 1784 it fell into decay, was restored during the Crimean War of 1853–1856, and declined again in the 20th century. Today the fortress is once again being used as a military facility by the occupying troops of the rf.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Origin of the name and purpose: the name comes from the Arabic rabat / arabat — "military camp" or military post. Erected by the Turkish command as a utilitarian fort to block the military route along the spit (which was actively traveled by Zaporozhian Cossacks and imperial troops).
  • First written mention: 1651, Description of Ukraine by Guillaume de Beauplan — "Arabat [Arabat], or Orbotec [Orbotec]" — a stone castle with a tower on the isthmus. However, on Bernard Wapowski's 1526 map of Southern Sarmatia, "arabat" already appears (near the mouth of the Tsuruk-Su), indicating the existence of a fortress as early as the Turkish conquest era.
  • Evliya Çelebi's version: the Turkish traveler (1666–1667) writes that the fortress was built during the reign of Khan Mehmed II Giray (1577–1584) — as a defensive fort after Cossacks and Kalmyks found a weak point in the peninsula's defense near Cape Arabat.
  • Reconstruction under Mehmed IV Giray: in the 17th century, the fortress was rebuilt to protect against raids by Don Cossacks.
  • Cossack assaults: Zaporozhian Cossacks led by Koshovyi Otaman Ivan Zhdan-Rih took Arabat by storm in 1668; attacks are also known in 1647, 1648, 1675, 1678, and 1737, while in 1739 Cossacks under Colonel Onysym Bilyi helped russian troops capture the fortress.
  • Decline and modern history: after 1784 — a small garrison and decline; restoration during the Crimean War of 1853–1856 (defense of the spit), then decline again and loss of municipal status. In the 20th century — hiding place for Red and White armies, fierce battles of World War II (German earth rampart, pillboxes), filming of the movie Two Comrades Were Serving featuring Vladimir Vysotsky. Local residents scavenged stone from the fortress for construction; no excavations were conducted. Today — once again a russian military facility; destruction of the landmark is ignored by the occupying authorities.
  • In fiction: in French writer Jules Verne's novel Keraban the Inflexible (1883), Arabat is one of the stops on the characters' journey around the Black Sea; they stop here for the night at a local inn and, due to a lack of horses, harness a pair of camels to their carriage.