On a day where we saw hundreds of tourists queued up to enter Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, we nearly had Yedikule Fortress to ourselves. The complex was original the ceremonious “Golden Gate” used especially for the triumphal entry of the emperor into the capital city. Later, during the Ottoman era, it was expanded and served as treasury, archive, and state prison.
It’s easy enough to get to (if you don’t mind a little walking), though you might have to search a little for a tourist map that includes this part of the city. We simply set out from our hostel near the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, walked to the coast, and followed the coast line to the fortress.
Beautiful walk along coast
Our friend, Trevor, scaring pigeons for an action photo
Admission is 10 lira ($5.50 CAD) and it takes about an hour to explore the whole thing. There are no guard railings, so if you have a fear of heights you might want to avoid climbing the walls.
After the fortress, we carried on walking along the ancient Byzantine walls and eventually turned back towards our hostel passing by the Aqueduct.
Here are our photos from the day:
Yedikule Fortress
Fortress… climbing these stairs is the only way to get to the top of the walls
Fortress & courtyard
On walls of fortress
Mike takes a photo of me taking a photo from fortress wall
The photo I was taking
Staircase in courtyard
Tower
Inside tower and a sketchy staircase
Looking down from tower
Inside tower
Inside of tower
Arrow slit
Tower
Mike, imagining what it’s like to be held prisoner in one of the towers
Gardens near Byzantine walls
Walking along the Byzantine city walls, from Yedikule fortress
Byzantine city walls
Byzantine city walls
Valens aqueduct, on our return walk
Unbelievable photos! I hope I can make it back to Turkey one day to check out these sights! Thanks for sharing.
-Gaby
Thanks Gaby! We couldn’t believe how few tourists were there, though it did take most of a day wandering there and back on foot… so I suppose that’s why. We would go back to Turkey in a heartbeat.
This actually looks like a very nice fortress to visit! Don’t know if I would enjoy it the wa you should, though, having a terrible fear of height.
I always wonder what I was like living in that time, in a structure like that…
It really did make for a great daytrip through the city. I can’t imagine what it would be like for a prisoner in one of those towers – what a dire existence!
Definitely way different from the rooms prisoners have these days…