About the fortress
The famous fortress was built in 1458 by Mehmet the Conqueror. It was quite important for the residents of the city: rituals and ceremonies were held here. The construction of this wonderful building coincided with a difficult historical period: the conquer of Constantinople. Ottomans added several adjacent buildings to the already existing ancient edifice of Constantinople: thus, the 4 towers of the fortress were built by the Byzantines, and the 3 interior ones were erected by the Muslims. The famous Golden Gates of the city, built in 390, are between the two towers. In the wall of the fortress there are stairs, which lead to the Belgrade Gates or Silivri Gates via several towers. It is by no means surprising, that the fortress withstood so many years: obviously, it was built for a full due. The interior walls of the fortress are 5 meters thick, and the external ones are 2 meters thick. Apparently, due to their thickness the interior walls of Yedikule have been preserved till our days, while the external ones are nearly completely destroyed.
Treasures of Yedikule
How would you imagine this fortress, if you knew about its ancient Eastern history? Of course, regardless some details, the beauty and decorations of the building would be astonishing! The so-called Golden Gates are named this way for a reason: the folds of the gates were covered with real gilding, as one of the main city sights had to be. Unfortunately, nowadays we can only guess, how beautiful the fortress was, and try to imagine the splendor and magnificence of the ancient jewel of Istanbul. For example, it is known that the marble towers of Yedikule were decorated with sculptures from gold and bronze. It is worth imagining, how they sparkled under the sun rays...
Yedikule through centuries
Many things changed during the long years of Yedikule existence. Even its appearance as Yedikule fortress, and not a Byzantine building (as it was), was marked with a cardinal change in the history of Constantinople, which became Istanbul in that troublesome times. The fortress served well its country, and nowadays it continues to be paid attention, but by tourists, who value it as a historical sight, and local residents, who organize entertaining events here. Once the fortress was a prison for ambassadors, who were kept there as hostages. It is known that nearly all Russian ambassadors from 17th-18th centuries “visited” Yedikule fortress. Many centuries ago sultans used the fortress to store his treasures and archives. In general, the walls of Yedikule have seen many things. Nowadays this beautiful castle with rich historical heritage waits its visitors as a museum.
