citadels
Walled defensive structures
Citadels is the plural of citadel, a fortress protecting or dominating a city.
Historically, citadels served as last refuges during sieges—places to retreat when outer defenses fell.
The word extends figuratively to any stronghold or center of power: citadels of learning, citadels of democracy.
The old citadels still stand watch over the harbor.
Fortified place of defense
- rampartsProtective fortress walls
- battlementsNotched defensive wall top
- wallsVertical enclosing structures
- towersTall vertical structures
garrison · bastions · parapets · moat · keep · defenses · watchtowers · siege
Syria's largest city
- CarcassonneFortified southern French commune
- SaladinTwelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- crusadersPassionate advocates for change
ancient · Machu Picchu · Masada · Dubrovnik · conquistadors · Ottoman · Byzantine · Alhambra
Protected sacred space
- havenShelter from danger
- shelterProtected place or structure
- retreatSanctuary or withdrawal
- safe havenProtected place of shelter
protection · asylum · escape · hideaway · bastion · last stand · holdout · safe house
Place for sitting
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- headquartersCentral command location
- centerMiddle of anything
- bastionFortified defensive position
hub · nerve center · command · dominion · control · regime · stronghold · ruling
stronghold
Fortified place of defense
- rampartsProtective fortress walls
- battlementsNotched defensive wall top
- wallsVertical enclosing structures
towers · garrison · bastions · parapets · moat · keep · defenses · watchtowers · siege · gates
Aleppo
Syria's largest city
- CarcassonneFortified southern French commune
- SaladinTwelfth-century sultan, Jerusalem's captor
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
crusaders · ancient · Machu Picchu · Masada · Dubrovnik · conquistadors · Ottoman · Byzantine · Alhambra · colonial
sanctuary
Protected sacred space
safe haven · protection · asylum · escape · hideaway · bastion · last stand · holdout · safe house · bunker
seat
Place for sitting
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- headquartersCentral command location
- centerMiddle of anything
bastion · hub · nerve center · command · dominion · control · regime · stronghold · ruling · government
- placescity, town, village, hamlet, building
- castleskeep, moat, drawbridge, dungeon, turret
- defensedefense, defending, protecting, protection, security
- medieval warfareknights, siege warfare, siege, army, castles
- ancient sitesPompeii, Stonehenge, pyramids, Colosseum, Giza
- fortificationsfort, fortresses, bastion, bastions, rampart
citadelshamlets
Very small villages
ruins · tent cities · frontier towns · shanties · slums
citadelsopen plains
Broad, flat, treeless terrain
public squares · commons · marketplaces · open fields · agoras
- inner citadelFortification's innermost stronghold
- The CitadelFortified central structure