User:Visnelma/Palanka

Palanka, is a fortress which was used extensively by Ottoman Empire and its rivals. Palankas could be constructed and expanded rapidly. They were constructed cheaply with simple materials. Although most of the palankas built in Europe were made of wood and earth, construction materials differed accordingly to the region due to resource scarcity. A typical palanka was surrounded with a ditch. The style of palanka walls were interchangeable, they could be either single rowed or double rowed with a filling in between. Also, corners of the walls could be fortified with D-shaped towers.

Fortifications that are made of wooden materials such as palisades were used since Ancient times. Palanka had its origins from a earlier Ottoman fortification called havale which was built outside the fortresses that were intended to be conquered. In 16th century, palankas were used in Hungary, Balkans, northern Black Sea, Anatolia, and North Africa. They were widely used during Ottoman-Austrian Wars in 16-17th centuries. Names of many settlements which were a part of Ottoman territories have its origins from this fortification.

Etymology
The word palankas originates from the Hungarian word palánkvār which means palisade. The Hungarian has its roots from the Late Latin word palanca. This word was borrowed from the Ancient Greek word phálanks, phalang (φάλανξ, φαλαγγ) which means log.

Thesises