Enisala citadel was built in the XIII century by the Byzantine empire on the shores of the Black Sea (Dobrogea region). In the XIV century it went under occupation of Genoese merchants (from north Italy), as they had monopoly over commerce in the Black Sea at the time. Genoese presence was not based on military occupation, but on economic concessions of Genoese associated with the local traders.
In the XV century is was regained by the Vallachian ruler Mircea cel Batran, but shortly after, the Ottoman wars of conquest began and the entire Dobrogea region fell under Ottoman occupation. Dobrogea was the only region fully incorporated into the Ottoman empire and remained so until the XIX century .
During ottoman rule, the citadel was abandoned and left in ruins. In the early XXth century archeology works began, which were interrupted by WW2. The works continued in the 1970’s.
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