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Yedikule Fortress (Yedikule Hisarı / Yedikule Zindanları) is an Ottoman fortress in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the Yedikule neighborhood.
History of Yedikule Fortress
In 1458, Mehmed the Conqueror ordered the construction of the complex along the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. He fully enclosed a section of the walls, including the Golden Gate, and added three new towers. The completed fortress had seven towers, and Yedikule translates to Seven Towers.
Yedikule Fortress originally served as the official Ottoman treasury fortress. Each tower was used to store documents, coins, gold and silver ingots, precious goods, and arms. There were also garrison houses, a mosque, and a primary school in the courtyard, forming a separate quarter of the city.
After the treasury moved to Topkapi Palace under Sultan Murad III in the 16th century, the fortress began to function as a dungeon for high-profile prisoners. When the Ottoman Empire would declare war on another country, they would usually imprison ambassadors of those countries at Yedikule Fortress. For example, in 1768, Russian ambassador Aleksei Mikhailovich Obreskov and all embassy staff were imprisoned there. Also, during the Napoleonic Wars, several French prisoners were held there, including diplomat and writer François Pouqueville (1770-1838). The last prisoner held there was in 1837.
The fortress was also the site of several high-profile executions. Among them were Sultan Osman II (1622); the last Emperor of Trebizond, David Megas Komnenos (1463); Prince of Wallachia Constantin Brâncoveanu (1654-1714) and his family (1614); Georgian King Simon I of Kartli (1611); and several Ottoman viziers and pashas.
Recent Uses
During the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid I, starting in 1851, Yedikule Fortress was used as a zoo. By the end of the 19th century, the garrison houses were torn down and a girls school was erected in their place. The entire complex became a museum in 1895, and the grounds have been used for open-air concerts, theater, and cultural festivals. An extensive restoration began in 2020.
Visiting Yedikule Fortress
Yedikule Fortress has spent several years under restoration and is finally open to the public. It’s open daily except Mondays and admission for foreigners is 100₺ (as of April 2024). Work hasn’t been completed yet, but you can visit the most interesting parts of the fortress.
I’ve visited the fortress three times. The first two times, I was able to wander around the grounds, along the walls, and into a couple of the towers. There was almost no information other than a few simple labels to explain what we were seeing. As part of the restoration, on my third and most recent visit, I’m happy to report there’s now detailed information in both Turkish and English.
Courtyard of Yedikule Fortress
The courtyard of Yedikule Fortress is a wide open space that once housed a small village consisting of garrison houses, a mosque, a primary school, and a fountain. The primary school was built in the first half of the 18th century by Hacı Beşir Ağa (d. 1746), who was the Chief Black Eunuch (Kızlar Ağası) of the Imperial Harem at Topkapi Palace. A foundation uncovered during excavations is thought to belong to the school.
The village was demolished in the late 19th century and replaced by a girls school that operated from 1871 to 1875. It was also later torn down. Today, there are a couple points of interest that remain.
Fatih Mosque at Yedikule Fortress
The Fatih Mosque (Fatih Mescidi) was built at the same time as the fortress and was one of the oldest in Istanbul. It was damaged over the years by earthquakes and fires and was converted to an ammunitions depot and warehouse after 1873. The structure was torn down sometime after 1905 and only the fountain and part of the minaret survived. The mosque is being rebuilt as part of the restoration of Yedikule Fortress.
Byzantine and Ottoman Roads
During restoration, workers discovered a 5th century Byzantine road and a 15th century Ottoman road in the middle of the courtyard. First, the Ottoman road runs past the Fatih Mosque from the entrance to the courtyard.
The 5th century road consists of large marble blocks and sits in front of the Golden Gate. It’s the oldest surviving road in the city and belongs to the Via Egnatia, which was an ancient Roman road originally built in the 2nd century BC. It led from Constantinople to Thessaloniki and onto Dyrrachium (now Dürres, Albania).
Towers of Yedikule Fortress
As previously mentioned, there are seven towers at Yedikule Fortress. Four were built by the Byzantines as part of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople while the other three were built by the Ottomans under Mehmed the Conqueror. I’ll cover the towers starting at the entrance to the courtyard and working my way clockwise.
Tower of Inscriptions
The Tower of Inscriptions (Kitabeli Kule), also known as the Dungeon Tower (Zindan Kulesi), is one of the three Ottoman towers at Yedikule Fortress. It held one of the dungeons that gave the fortress its infamy. Foreigners and diplomats from countries at war the Ottoman Empire were typically imprisoned there. The wooden mezzanine floors and the conical roof have not survived.
The tower is named for the inscriptions prisoners carved into the walls, including their names, dates of imprisonment, and other information. They’re written in languages such as Latin, French, and Hungarian. François Pouqueville, who was imprisoned there from 1799 to 1801, described his experience in detail:
And at last, lofty towers filled with fetters, chains and old time weapons, graves, ruins; wells of blood, terrible tortures, vaults cold and hollow, under which there are many texts from Al-Quran, shrill cries of owls and vultures mixed with the sound of sea billows.
Cannon Tower
Next is the Cannon Tower (Top Kulesi), which is on the southeast corner of Yedikule Fortress, is another Ottoman tower. It was typically used for storage and was also known as the Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi), the Supply Tower (Erzak Kulesi), and the Millet Tower (Darı Kulesi). The top was covered by a two-tiered conical roof that has not survived.
The Cannon Tower differs from the other two Ottoman towers because a ramp provides the connection between each level. Some experts believe this was to facilitate the movement of cannons to the upper floors.
During my most recent visit, there was a display with photos of restorations completed at different mosques, fountains, and mansions all over Istanbul.
Ruined Tower
The Ruined Tower (Yıkık Kule), which was originally part of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, once stood at the southwest corner of Yedikule Fortress. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1766 and never rebuilt. Based on drawings and descriptions, it was similar in design to the Tower of Sultan Ahmed III. The tower was originally known as the Small Tower (Küçük Kule). You can see the ruins of the foundation from the moat outside Yedikule Fortress.
South Marble Tower
The South Marble Tower (Güney Mermer Kule) was built at the beginning of the 5th century along with the Golden Gate. It was part of the Theodosian Walls and was used as a dungeon for Muslim prisoners during the Ottoman period. Names of Janissaries and different symbols are engraved on the inner walls.
In the middle of the inner gallery you can see the wooden structure where prisoners were kept. There’s also the Bloody Well (Kanlı Kuyu), where the decapitated heads of executed prisoners were thrown.
If you follow the stairs, you can climb up to the top of the South Marble Tower. From there, you can get spectacular views of the courtyard of Yedikule Fortress and also walk across the Golden Gate to the North Marble Tower.
Cell of Osman II
The Cell of Osman II (Genç Osman’ın Odası) is inside the South Marble Tower. Sultan Osman II was the first sultan to recognize the danger of the Janissaries and tried to restrict their power but they rose up against him. In 1622, the Janissaries dragged him to Yedikule Fortress and held him in this cell. They later strangled him to death, marking the first time in history the Janissaries would execute a Sultan. Grand Vizier Kara Davud Pasha (1570-1623) was executed there shortly after.
North Marble Tower
The North Marble Tower flanks the north side of the Golden Gate and is nearly identical to the South Marble Tower, in both design and use. The inner gallery has a dirt floor and a wooden structure. Unfortunately, it was closed during my last visit.
According to some historians, the first prisoner in the North Marble Tower during the Ottoman period was Çandarlı Halil Pasha (d. 1453), the Grand Vizier under Murad II and Mehmed the Conqueror. It’s also believed David Megas Komnenos (c. 1408-1463), the last Emperor of Trebizond, was imprisoned and executed there along with his sons and nephew.
Tower of Sultan Ahmed III
The Tower of Sultan Ahmed III (Sultan III. Ahmed Kulesi), which is on a polygonal plan, is on the northwest corner of Yedikule Fortress. The only entrance is via the terrace.
The tower was originally built as part of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople but was destroyed by earthquakes in the early 18th century. Reconstruction began during the reign of Ahmed III (r. 1703-1730) but it wasn’t completed until 1754/55 during the reign of Osman III (r. 1754-1757). On the façade facing the moat, a marble inscription reads:
What almighty Allah wants, happens, 1754/55
Treasury Tower
The Treasury Tower (Hazine Kulesi), on the northeast corner of Yedikule Fortress, is the third Ottoman tower. It was built to store Ottoman treasures, hence the name, and was guarded by roughly 250 soldiers. The tower contained valuable weapons, armor, saddles, harnesses, ancient artifacts, tools, official documents, and spoils of war brought by Sultan Selim I from Egypt and Iran. It . They were kept there until the treasury moved to Topkapi Palace during the reign of Murad III.
The tower is on a circular plan and was once topped by a conical roof. The wooden mezzanine floors on the inside have not survived.
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate (Χρυσή Πύλη / Altınkapı) is on the west side of the fortress and was the most important gate on the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople. It was the main ceremonial entrance to Constantinople and was built with polished white marble. There were actually 3 arched gates flanked by 2 large towers, corresponding to towers 9 and 10, and it was decorated with several statues.
The Small Golden Gate, which sits in front of the Golden Gate, was built later in the 5th century to strengthen the defensive line. It has a single gate and was decorated with 12 tablets on marble frames featuring mythological themes. The tablets, which once belonged to an ancient structure, have since disappeared. The Small Golden Gate was repaired in 1838 during the reign of Mahmud II. His tughra and the Ottoman coat of arms were placed on the outer arch.
The Golden Gate opened to the Via Egnatia, which was an ancient Roman road built in the 2nd century BC. It led from Constantinople to Thessaloniki and onto Dyrrachium (now Dürres, Albania).
According to a Greek prophecy, when the Ottomans entered the city during the Fall of Constantinople, an angel appeared and rescued Constantine XI. The angel turned the Emperor into marble and placed him in an underground cave near the Golden Gate, where he would rise one day to retake the city for Christianity. The Ottomans had the gate sealed to prevent the prophecy from coming true, and it’s still sealed to this day.
Walking the Walls of Yedikule Fortress
On my third visit, due to the ongoing restoration, I wasn’t able to climb up and walk along the walls. I hope they’ll open to the public again soon because it’s one of the highlights of visiting Yedikule Fortress. If the walls are open before I have a chance to update this post, I have some advice: be extremely careful while climbing the steep steps and while walking on the walls themselves. It can be a dizzying experience and there are no guardrails (I’m sure they’ll add some). Also, the steps can be slippery when wet.
Views from the Top of the Walls
Finally, visitors can’t help but notice the spectacular views offered by climbing the walls and towers of Yedikule Fortress. There are panoramic views of Istanbul and the Marmara Sea, including the old city and both sides of the walls.
It’s possible to spot landmarks in the distance such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Fatih Mosque, and see ships lining up in the Marmara Sea waiting to pass through the Bosporus.
