Kırıkkale

When a city’s name means “broken castle,” you can’t help asking: which castle, when, and who broke it? The story behind the name of Kırıkkale, on the banks of the Kızılırmak, is not fully known; it is said to come from the ruins of an old castle nearby. A broken castle… Certainly not the most ambitious name a city could be given; but this city would go on to write a story far sturdier than its name.