Amouda

For the Syrian town Amouda, see: Amuda

The castle of Amouda (Turkish: Hemite Kalesi) is a crusader castle in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (in Osmaniye Province of modern-day Turkey). The castle was granted to the Teutonic Knights in 1212 (Barber 2008) and rebuilt by them in the 13th century to serve as their local headquarters in Armenia. It also earned revenue for the Teutonic Order from the surrounding land. According to contemporary sources (Wilbrand van Oldenburg), the castle provided shelter for 2000 people during an invasion by the Mamluks.

Architecture

Rather than typically Armenian (such as at Yılankale or Lampron), the design of Amouda is similar to the Teutonic Knights's castle at Montfort with a keep guarding the entrance (Molin 2001).

References

• Unknown crusader castles by Kristian Molin, Hambledon Continuum, 2001
• The Military Orders: History and heritage By Malcolm Barber, Victor Mallia-Milanes. 2008