kula

Definition

A tower, turret or steeple in Southeast Europe erected during the period of Ottoman domination on the area.

Etymology

From a South Slavic language, from Turkish kule, from Persian قله (qolle), from Arabic قُلَّة (qulla, “pinnacle, zenith”).

Example Sentences

• "Instead of the haïdooks, their next of kin, the zaptiés now hold a kula on the highest point of the pass; here one pauses to rest after scrambling up the vile Turkish road on one side of the ravine, and before scrambling down the vile Turkish road on the other."
• "The most important kulas of the Čengić-begs are those in Zagorje, in Rataji and the River Odžak near Ustikolina."
• "The kulas were indeed like fortresses, with as many as twenty 'guns', i.e. adult men ready to fight."