Chair Nikos Tsivikis
This session focuses on towers and fortifications from various cultural and historical backgrounds across the Middle East and Anatolia.
Stéphane Pradines
Islamic, Armenian, or Byzantine? Fatimid Gates and Ayyubid Towers in Cairo (1087–1171 AD)
This talk explores the architectural influences and identities of defensive structures in medieval Cairo Code of Conduct – Limes Congress.
Mustafa Tahir Ocak
Alanya Red Tower: A Unique Defense Structure in Anatolia
A study of the famous Red Tower in Alanya, analyzing its design and strategic function.
Paschalis Androudis, Dimitrios Kritikou, Petra Lucenicova
Towers in Rum Seljuq Palaces and Pavilions
The presenters examine the decorative and symbolic roles of towers in Seljuq royal architecture.
Patricia Blessing & Richard McClary
Reconstructing Lost Rum Seljuq Monuments: The Kilij Arslan Kiosk Towers in Konya
A reconstruction effort of two almost-lost towers from the Seljuq period in central Anatolia Istanbul Private Guided Tours.
Erdal Eser & Ivana Mihaljinec
Divrigi Bastion and Towers: New Findings from Archaeological Excavations
Findings from fieldwork that reveal the complexity of the towers in Divrigi.
Joachim Gierlichs
Figurative Towers in Southeastern Anatolia: The Case of Silvan/Mayyafarikin
A discussion of carved and decorated towers in eastern Anatolia.
Mathias Piana
Mamluk Towers in Levantine Harbours
The role of towers in harbor defenses in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Mamluk period.
Questions and Discussion
Tower Architecture in the Western Mediterranean
Chair Paschalis Androudis
This session examines the transformation of towers from military use to luxurious architecture in Spain and Italy.
Manuel Esteban Barba Delgado
Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo: A 13th-Century Qubba in Granada, Spain
Theodoros Iosiphidis
Torre de la Cautiva and Torre de las Infantas: From Defensive Structures to Opulent Mansions
Eleni Papanikolaou
Towers of the Norman Palace of Palermo
Fabio Coden
The Abbey Tower of San Zeno Maggiore in Verona
Questions and Discussion
Day 3 – Sunday, 20 November 2022
Donjons and Residential Towers in Byzantium
Chair:Klimis Aslanidis
This session focuses on large defensive and residential towers within Byzantine cities and landscapes.
Ploutarchos Theocharidis & Nikolaos Bonovas
The Tower of Orestes in the Acropolis of Serres
Alessandra Ricci
Living on the Land Walls: Late Byzantine Residential Towers in Constantinople
Jasmina Ciric
Protected by God’s Hand: Brick Cryptograms at the Despot’s Tower in Smederevo
Paschalis Androudis
The Donjon of the Castle of Platamon, Pieria
Genoese Towers in the Aegean, Turkey, and the Black Sea
Chair Alkiviadis Ginalis
This session examines towers built by the Genoese across the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Angeliki Stakia
The Tower of Dotia in Chios
Andreas Mazarakis
The Fortifications of the Gattilusi
Paschalis Androudis, Sonia Gkounta, Eleni Faka
The Gattilusi Towers in Chora and Palaiopolis in Samothrace
Hasan Sercan Saglam
Comparative Study of the Gattilusi Towers on the North Aegean Coast of Turkey
New Research on the Defensive Layout of the Galata Tower and Walls
Rafal Quirini-Poplawski
“Genoese” Towers on the Black Sea: Form, Function, and Decoration
Gunpowder and Coastal Fortifications
Chair Katerina Manousou-Ntella
This final session explores how artillery and gunpowder changed the design of towers and castles in the later medieval period.
Georgios Michailidis
The Use of Field, Fixed, and Naval Artillery in Late Medieval and Early Modern European Sieges
