Attention! The fortress is closed for renovation (beginning of 2022). The date of the resumption of work has not been announced, follow the information on the official website.
Rumelihisar (tur. Rumeli Hisarı) is an ancient fortress of the 15th century on the European coast of Istanbul near the Second Bosphorus Bridge. It is well preserved and accessible to the public as a museum.
The fortress offers excellent views of the Bosphorus.
Opening hours: from April to October from 09:00 to 19:00, from November to March from 09:00 to 17:00.
Official website: muze.gen.tr
Address: Rumeli HisarI, Yahya Kemal Cd., 34470 SarIyer/İstanbul, Turkey
Rumelihisar Fortress got its name from the word “Rumeli”. So in Turkey they called the European part of the country.
It was built in 1452 by order of Fatih Sultan Mehmed. Construction lasted a record short time – from mid-April to the end of August. The total area of the territory is 30 thousand square meters.
Two fortresses built opposite each other, in the narrowest part of the Bosphorus, allowed complete control of all ships that sailed through the Bosphorus from the Black Sea. This place in those days was called the “cutting throat”, since it was impossible for warships to sail through it, which played an important role in the fall of Constantinople in 1453.
There is no exhibition hall or museum with exhibits on the territory of the fortress. In total, 17 towers of different heights and shapes, surrounded by a fortress wall, have been preserved here. The most important are huge towers from 22 to 28 meters high, named after the main associates of the Sultan: Halilpasha, Sarujipasha and Zaganospasha.
Currently, climbing to the upper floors of the towers in the fortress is prohibited for security reasons.
Around the towers there is a garden in which cannons, cannonballs, a piece of chain, which was used to protect against attacks, are exhibited.
On the territory there is a small outdoor amphitheater, where theatrical and musical performances are held in the summer. Next to the amphitheater is a small mosque, restored in 2014 in the image of the original.
Near the Rumelihisar fortress is the Bosphorus embankment, it is especially pleasant to walk along it in the evening with a view of the illuminated bridges and the fortress.