28.04.2025 20:08
In the village of Bilek in Muş, villagers grazing their animals in the fields discovered the ruins of a castle bearing historical traces in an area with thousands of wild pear trees. It takes about two minutes for a stone thrown from the ventilation shafts on the structure to reach the bottom.
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Citizens living in Bilek village, located about 50 kilometers away from the central district of Muş, discovered the remains of a new castle during land works.
QUITE ATTRACTIVE FROM A HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
The discovery of approximately 110,000 wild pear trees in the area draws attention, while villagers stated that these trees were planted intentionally and that wine production took place here in the past. On the right side of the route where the castle is located is the historical Çengili Church, and on the left side are Karakale and Mercimek Castle Mound. This situation makes the discovered castle quite interesting from both historical and archaeological perspectives.
VILLAGERS HOPE TO CLARIFY THE REGION'S HISTORY
Residents of Bilek village expressed their desire for a detailed examination of the castle and the initiation of archaeological excavation works in the area, stating that they hope the research will illuminate the region's history and contribute to Muş's cultural tourism.
"WHEN WE THROW A STONE IN, IT TAKES ABOUT TWO MINUTES TO REACH THE BOTTOM"
Şabeddin Çiçek, one of the residents of Bilek village, stated that this discovery could be equivalent to the discovery of Göbeklitepe, saying, "My uncle Atik Bey said he discovered a castle with walls while grazing animals here. We conducted our own research with our means. When I came to the area, we indeed found a wall that is 2 meters wide. We asked the elders of the village, and they said there used to be a structure here. The structure had 4-5 ventilation chimneys on it. When we threw a stone in, it took about two minutes to reach the bottom. We think this structure is equivalent to Göbeklitepe because there are about 110,000 wild pear trees in the area. We learned that the pears harvested from these wild pear trees were used in wine production during those times. We also assume that this castle was used for wine production," he said.
"WE WANT THE REGION TO BE BROUGHT INTO TOURISM"
Mehmet Atik Özmen, another resident of Bilek village, recounted discovering the walls while grazing animals, saying, "I was grazing animals here. At that moment, I noticed that there was a structure. There was a hole at the very top of the structure. I was dropping stones through that hole, and when I pressed my ear against it, I could hear the stone reaching the bottom after about two minutes. However, later on, treasure hunters came here and destroyed the structure. Those holes were also lost during that time. Our expectation is for our government to research and protect this place. At the same time, we want the region to be brought into tourism. This will provide great benefits for both our village and our region. Here, on the same line...
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