Fortino di Mazzallakkar

Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy

The Fortino di Mazzallakkar is a ruined Arab fort in Sambuca di Sicilia. It is located near Lago Arancio, and is partially submerged by its waters for six months of every year.

The Fortino di Mazzallakkar was built by the Arabs in around 830 AD, possibly to defend the territory around Sambuca di Sicilia, which was then known as Zabut.

The fort was still in good condition until the mid-20th century, and it was used as a shelter for sheep and cattle. In the 1950s, the Carboj dam was built, causing the flooding of Lago Arancio. The fort is located at the edge of the lake, and is partially submerged around 6 months of the year. This has caused a lot of damage to the fort.

The fort is privately owned, and can be visited on request.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Sambuca di Sicilia, Italy

See all sites in Sambuca di Sicilia

Details

Founded: 830 AD
Category: Castles and fortifications in Italy

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

3.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

San Giuseppe dei Teatini Church (59,5 km)
Quattro Canti (59,6 km)
Santa Caterina Church (59,6 km)
Fontana Pretoria (59,6 km)
Church of San Cataldo (59,5 km)
San Matteo al Cassaro Church (59,7 km)
Cathedral of Monreale (53,8 km)
Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio Church (59,5 km)
Palermo Cathedral (59,3 km)

User Reviews

benedetto casanovi (7 months ago)
The place deserves, there is no path to get there, you have to go through the vineyards, but thanks to my drone I was able to take some photos and filming, I had to take a nice ride at a certain point the road stops .... (missing).

Vincenzo F. (9 months ago)
Charming fort. To reach it you have to set as your destination "Spazio Iter Vitis", park them and cross the rows of vineyards. At that height there is a cut in the net that allows you to reach the shores of the lake.

Otiv (11 months ago)
The Sicilian roads are pitiful and those around Lake Arancio are no exception, I tried to get to the fort from the south side but at one point a gate prevented me from continuing, I tried from the north but at one point I found a collapsed bridge over the Rincione river and I gave up. However, when I got home, I realized that I had to continue another 100 meters on my last road to find a bridge over the Rincione river that was active. I captured the images from the opposite side of the lake. Too bad, I would have liked to see up close. Fascinating

Giuseppe Costa (3 years ago)

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Hidden Gems of Finnish Archipelago

Photo from Flickr, copyright currystrumpet

Historic Site of the week

Diocletian's Palace

Considered to be one of the most imposing Roman ruins, Diocletian’s palace is certainly the main attraction of the city of Split. The ruins of palace, built between the late 3rd and the early 4th centuries A.D., can be found throughout the city. Today the remains of the palace are part of the historic core of Split, which in 1979 was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

While it is referred to as a 'palace' because of its intended use as the retirement residence of Diocletian, the term can be misleading as the structure is massive and more resembles a large fortress: about half of it was for Diocletian's personal use, and the rest housed the military garrison.

Architecture

The palace has a form of an irregular rectangle with numerous towers on the western, northern, and eastern facades.