Rumkale (lit. 'Roman Castle'; Armenian: Հռոմկլա, romanized: Hromgla), also known as Urumgala, is a fortress on the Euphrates, located in the province of Gaziantep and 50 km west of Şanlıurfa.

Ancient History

Its strategic location was already known to the Assyrians and it is possible that it was fortified by the Romans, no remains of periods earlier than 1000 CE have been identified at the side.[1] It is said that John, an apostle of Jesus, lived in Rumkale during Roman times.[2] It was then part of the Byzantine Empire.

Medieval History

In the late 11th century, the castle now known as Hromgla was part of the Armenian principalities of first Philaretos Brachamiosand then Kogh Vasil.[3] It was for some time under Latin rule with an Armenian bishop present before Gregory III purchased it from Beatrice of Turbessel in 1148 or 1150 to obtain a safe settlement for the Armenian Catholicosate.[4] Gregory's brother Nerses IV was elected as Armenian Catholicos here in 1166 and it seems that at this time a very considerable settlement existed there during his time that also housed representatives of the Syriac Orthodox and the Catholic Church.[5][6]

 Hromkla within the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

The castle became then part of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. In the 1170 and 1172, theological conferences exploring a union of churches were held at Hromgla between the Armenian Church and the Byzantine Church with the Syrian Orthox (Jacobite) Church sending observers. In 1179, a synod of 33 Armenian bishops took place in Hromgla came up with a compromise and sent a profession of faith to Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, but he died in September 1180 before it reached him.[7] From 1203 to 1293, it served as the residence of the Catholicos of the Armenian Church.[8] The site became an important center for manuscript production, reaching its artistic peak under the Catholicos Constantine I who employed Toros Roslin, whose stylistic and iconographic innovations had profound influence on subsequent generations of Armenian art.[6]

In 1293, it was captured by the Mamluks of Egypt following a protracted siege who then named it Qal'at al-Muslimin.

^ Comfort, Abadie-Reynal & Ergeç 2000, p. 113. ^ "Roman Castle to open to tourism". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2020-03-28. ^ Dadoyan 2012, p. 41. ^ van Lint 1999, p. 32. ^ Russel 2005, p. 201. ^ a b Evans 2008, p. 141. ^ Hamilton 1999, pp. 4–5. ^ "Eastern Churches" by James Darling, London 1850, page 35, paragraph 2
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