A few weeks ago we were in the mountains where snow was still making an appearance and this week, we ventured towards the coast where spring is in full gear. This is Romania!
The historic Dobrogea region being on the coast of the Black Sea and having the inland entry access through the canals of the Danube river provided a lot of opportunities for merchants but at the same time, an easy target for invaders and thieves. Just within a 50 km area of our pension in Jurilovca, we walked among the ruins of 3 fortifications during one day. Our first stop was to be the most imposing and probably the most restored up to now, the “military-style” Enisala Fortress. Built in the second half of the 14th century on the same site as settlements from the Iron Age and later Roman, it is thought that the medieval structure was probably built by rich Genoese merchants, owners of the monopole on the Black Sea navigation. But had to be abandoned when the Ottoman conquered the area in the beginning of the15th century. The sandbanks were not present at that time so the fortress would have had direct access to the Black Sea.
Notre deuxième site est celui d’Ibida dans la petite localité de Slava Rusă. Situé en dedans des terres mais sur une route commerciale importante, le forteresse à son apogée au 6ième siècle s’étendrait sur 24 hectares (dont 50% serait en dessous du village de nos jours). Ce serait la plus grande forteresse romaine-byzantine sur le territoire de la Roumanie avec des rues, des murs entre 3 et 7 mètres et 30 tours. Beaucoup de travail d’été en perspective pour les étudiants en archéologie.
