In the very center of the bustling European side of Istanbul, there is a magical island of tranquility and tranquility. This is a powerful Turkish fortress Rumelihisar, erected on the picturesque coast of the Bosphorus, not far from the second Bosphorus bridge named after Sultan Fatih. Once it was of great strategic importance, the second name of the fortress, “cut throat”, speaks volumes about this. Rumelikhisar appeared in 1452 by order of Sultan Mahmed Fatih and took its place on the Bosphorus coast opposite the Anadoluhisar fortress, located on the Asian side. The two fortresses jointly controlled the ships entering the Bosphorus and thus “cut off” Constantinople from the Black Sea. After the surrender of the city, the fortress used as a checkpoint, then a prison located in its premises.
Today Rumelihisar receives guests as a museum, but everyone who comes here will certainly feel the rich historical past of the citadel.
Throughout its long history, Rumelikhisar repeatedly destroyed, but each time it carefully restored. Today it receives guests as a museum, but everyone who comes here will certainly feel the rich historical past of the citadel.
Description
The Rumelihisar fortress consists of three main towers: Halil Pasha, Saruja Pasha and Zaganos Pasha, as well as 13 small turrets connected by thick and strong walls. Inside the citadel there were wooden barracks for soldiers and a mosque, under it was a vast reservoir. The total area of the entire structure reached 30 thousand square meters. m. Today, only the minaret has survived from the mosque destroyed during the earthquake.
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What to see
Climbing the walls of the fortress to the very top, you will probably be speechless for a moment. An impressive panorama of the Bosphorus Strait and the Asian side of Istanbul will open before you, and those with a rich imagination will complement what they see with realistic pictures of medieval naval battles with warlike janissaries and rumbling cannons.
In 1960, an artillery museum opened on the territory of the Rumelihisar fortress.
In the summertime, various concerts and festivals held on the site of the open theater. Before the visit, check the schedule of events, perhaps something interesting will also be on your trip.
How to get there
It is convenient to get to the fortress from the Sultanahmet area in the following way: take a tram to the final stop “Kabatash”, where you change to bus number 22, 22RE, 25E and again go to the final stop. From Taksim Square you need to take bus no. 40, 40T, 42T. The stop located next to the fortress called RumeliHisari. To get to the entrance to the fortress, you need to walk a little along the Bosphorus embankment in the opposite direction from the stop.
Helpful information
Location: Bayrampasa, Yenidogan Mh., YahyaKemal Street, 42.
Phone: +90 (212) 263-53-05.
Working hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 – 18:00 (in the spring-summer period, the rest of the time the fortress closes at 16:30), Wednesday: closed.
Entrance: 25 TRY.
To explore the fortress, it is advisable to choose dry and sunny weather and choose comfortable shoes without heels. Climbing the slippery stone steps in the rain to the top will not only be problematic, but also unsafe.
Website: muze.gen.tr.
