Castles!- Large Photos

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Çufut Qale, sometimes spelled as Chufut Kale is a historic fortress in Crimea, Ukraine.
map coordinates 44.741111, 33.924444
Legend, fostered by the Karaites to show the antiquity of their sect, says that Karaites were brought there from Persia at the time of the first Exile. Its name is Crimean Tatar and Turkish for "Jewish Fortress".
http://boduni.narod.ru/foto/pesh1ruk062002/chufutkale.jpg

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Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England.
Map coordinates 53.1277, -2.6913
It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, (1170–1232), on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership of Beeston, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century.

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Qalaat Niha:
The cave castle of Tyron Niha relates to one of the closing episodes of Prince Fakhreddin II's epic history and are the only remaining vestiges of a once powerful fortress which was successively used by the Arabs, Crusaders, and a number of princes of Mount Lebanon.
map coordinates 33.577152, 35.607877

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The ancient ruins of Berry Pomeroy Castle are reputed to be one of England's most haunted. The castle has several legends.
Map coordinates 50.44902, -3.63662
People claim the castle is haunted by the ghost of Margaret Pomeroy, who was imprisoned by her jealous sister, Eleanor, and consequently starved to death. Legend holds that the sisters were in love with the same man, and Eleanor imprisoned her sister out of jealousy.

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Moyry Castle is situated in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It was built in 1601 by Lord Mountjoy to help secure Moyry Pass and the Gap of the North.
Map coordinates 54.070136, -6.385179

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Esslemont Castle is a ruined tower house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Map coordinates 57.358057, -2.114053
The first mention of Esslemont is as the 'manor of Eislemont' in the 14th century. The lands of Esslemont were passed by marriage from the family of Mareschal to the Cheynes of Straloch in the 14th century.

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Findlater Castle sits in a romantic position on a 50-foot (15 m)-high cliff overlooking the Moray Firth on the coast of Scotland.
map coordinates 57.692389, -2.770408
The name "Findlater" is derived from the Norse words fyn ("white") and leitr ("cliff"). The first historical reference to the castle is from 1246.

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Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
Map coordinates 51.482353, -3.181219
There may have been at least two previous Roman forts on the site. The first was probably built about 55 AD during the conquest of the Silures tribe. The Norman castle was built about 1091.

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The Elbasan castle is a 15th century fortress located in the city of Elbasan, Albania.
map coordinates 41.113, 20.08
The ruins of the outer towers and walls are mixed with more modern buildings in the center of the old city. Part of the ancient Roman Via Egnatia passes through the castle.

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Castillo de Cartaya is located in the town of the same name in the province of Huelva, Spain.
Map coordinates 37.283138, -7.156514
also know as Castillo de los Zúñiga, this tower-fortress was built with royal licenses between 1417 and 1420, the creation of the population as a stronghold by Don Pedro de Zuniga, Count of Plasencia. In the early fifteenth century the Marquis and Lord of Gibraleón established a boat passage by way of the Stones River, facing the interests of the estate of Ayamonte. Seven years later work began on the castle of Zuniga.

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Lori Berd is the site of a medieval fortress located on a peninsula along the deep gorge cut by the Dzoraget and Tashir rivers, in Armenia.
Map coordinates 41.002499, 44.429902
According to records, the fortress was in place by 1228 when Khoremsk's shah Jalal-Edin laid siege.

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Castillo de Castellar de la Frontera is located in the province of Cádiz, Spain.
Map coordinates 36.319217, -5.453455
As its name suggests, the Arab fortress built in the thirteenth century was in a border position, defending the Taifa kingdom of Algeciras. It was the former residence of the Counts of Castellar.

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Burg Güssing is a castle in southern Burgenland, Austria. On June 30, 1524, the castle was acquired by the Batthyány family, who retain ownership to this day.
Map coordinates 47.056667, 16.322778
Around 1157, a small wooden fort is said to have been built by Count Wolfer. Ownership of the structure later passed to King Béla III, who strengthened the original wooden structure with stone walls. Since 1198, Güssing became known as "Novum Castrum".

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Kreva Castle is the ruins of a major fortified residence of Grand Dukes Gediminas and Algirdas in Kreva village, Belarus.
Map coordinates 54.316667, 26.283333
Algirdas's brother Kestutis was imprisoned and murdered in Kreva Castle in 1382.

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The Castle of Anvaing lies northeast of Tournai, Belgium.
Map coordinates 50.676877,3.577325
The original moated fortifications were built in the 12th century, though the present building was erected in the 16th century and modified up through 1720. The Castle is still a private property and is not open to visitors.