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Istanbul's
fearsome Fortress
of the Seven Towers (Yedikule), 5.5
km (3.4 miles) southwest of Sultanahmet
(map), was where
the ambassadors of foreign powers
that had displeased the Ottoman sultan
awaited their fate (often in privation),
and where at least one Ottoman prince
awaited—and
met—his
death.
You can easily reach Yedikule by suburban
train, but you may want to consider
an Istanbul
city tour so you can also
see other places in this area easily.
(Details below.)
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Yedikule's dungeon tower: prison
for foreign diplomats. |
It was not always so. This great pile
of stones was first built as the Golden
Gate in the times of Byzantine Emperors
Theodosius I and Theodosius II (408-450).
The twin square towers of the Golden
Gate are now just two of the seven
towers of Yedikule.
The Golden Gate was the monumental
and ceremonial entrance to the city
as one came along the Roman road from
Europe, with four
massive towers built into
Theodosius II's mighty land
walls. Its gigantic
doors were indeed once covered
in gold.
After he conquered Constantinople
in 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror added
three towers to make it a fortress,
which he used as a treasury and prison as well.
Byzantine Golden
Gate in the city
walls.
Yedikule is in the land
walls near
the Sea
of Marmara shore. The land
walls, by the way, extend for 6.5 km
(4 miles) northward to Ayvansaray (near
Eyüp) on the Golden
Horn.
Perhaps the easiest, and certainly
the cheapest, way to go to Yedikule is
to take a suburban
train (Banliyö Treni) from
Sirkeci
Station toward Halkalı
(they run every few minutes).
Get out at Yedikule,
turn left out of the station, and walk
400 meters to the fortress.
You can also get here on good
half-day Istanbul
city tours operated
by Backpackers
Travel. The advantage
of a tour is that you can see more
in much less time. More...
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