Description: Edinburgh Castle is one of the city’s most impressive site, a sprawling fortress dominating the Edinburgh skyline. While the site has been occupied by humans since the 9th century BC, the current castle has stood in this site since the 12th century, though by the 17th century was used primarily as a military base with a large garrison. As one of the most important fortresses in Scotland, Edinburgh Castle was involved in many of the country’s major historical conflicts, from the 14th century Wars of Scottish Independence to the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and has been besieged - successfully and unsuccessfully - many time. Few buildings in the castle grounds predate the 16th century, with the exception of the ancient St. Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest surviving building in the city, dating to the early 12th century. The castle also houses the Scottish National War Memorial and the National War Museum of Scotland, in addition to a few cafes, restaurants, shops and numerous historical displays.
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