Rumeli Fortress

About Rumeli Fortress

Ottoman castle in Istanbul

Rumelihisarı, the Rumelian Fortress, is a vast Ottoman castle spread over the hills of the European shore of the Bosphorus in Sarıyer, directly beneath the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge at the narrowest point of the strait. Sultan Mehmed II ordered it built in 1451–1452 to prepare for the siege of Constantinople, and it was completed in about four months, an engineering feat still remembered today. Its original name, Boğazkesen, 'strait-cutter', describes its purpose: together with the smaller Anadoluhisarı on the opposite bank it choked off maritime supplies reaching the Byzantine city from the Black Sea. The fortress covers more than 31,000 square metres, with three great main towers and thirteen smaller ones linked by walls that zigzag from the hilltop down to the water, plus the minaret of a small mosque that once stood within. After the conquest it served as a customs post and occasionally a prison, was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1509 and repaired, and remained in use until the late 19th century before becoming an open-air museum in the mid-20th century. Climbing the towers rewards you with a panorama of the Bosphorus, the bridge and the Asian shore, and makes this one of the best places to grasp the story of the conquest of Istanbul on the ground.

Where:

Istanbul, Türkiye