Darıca Castle (Darıca Kalesi)
A historic castle built in the Byzantine period as a guard post protecting the harbour.
View on map5 places to visit in the Darıca district of Kocaeli: Darıca Castle (Darıca Kalesi), Bayramoğlu Beach (Bayramoğlu Sahili) and Darıca Faruk Yalçın Zoo and Botanical Park (Darıca Faruk Yalçın Hayvanat Bahçesi ve Botanik Parkı). Plan your trip to Darıca with local food, practical tips and transport information.
Darıca is a district of Kocaeli Province. It lies in the Marmara Region, on the north-west coast of the Gulf of İzmit, at the southern tip of the Kocaeli Peninsula.
Ancient and Byzantine Periods
The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Phrygians and the Mysians. In 378 BC, the Bithynians, who dominated the area, founded an independent kingdom on the Kocaeli Peninsula. Darıca Castle was built in the Byzantine period as a guard post protecting the harbour, and in historical records it is mentioned under the names Tararion or Toricion.
Ottoman Period
During the reign of Orhan Gazi, after the Battle of Pelekanon in 1329 with the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos III, the area was incorporated into Ottoman territory. In the 17th century, Evliya Çelebi referred to the settlement as Dar Uca and recorded that civilians lived in the castle. Çelebi Mehmed endowed the village of Darıca, as an allocation, to the Green Mosque (Yeşil Cami), madrasa and imaret he had built in Bursa.
Republican Period
During the War of Independence and the Millî Mücadele years, between 1920 and 1921, the area was occupied; the occupying forces withdrew on 26 June 1921. In 1923, as part of the population exchange between Türkiye and Greece, the Greek Orthodox population of Darıca emigrated to Greece, and an estimated 1,800 Muslim Turkish exchangees were settled in their place.
Geography
Darıca lies at the southern tip of the Kocaeli Peneplain. With an area of 23 km², the district has dolomitic and limestone formations and lies in a first-degree earthquake zone. Its coastline is about 16 km long.
Economy
Historically, Darıca’s economy was based mainly on cereal farming, viticulture, olive growing and fishing. From the 16th century, lime kilns that supplied Istanbul’s lime needs were among the region’s earliest known industrial facilities.
History and Culture
Darıca became part of Ottoman territory after the Battle of Pelekanon in 1329. In 2008 it separated from Gebze and gained the status of an independent district. From the 1960s onwards, under the influence of industrial investment in the Kocaeli basin, Darıca received heavy migration from various provinces of Anatolia.
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