ANADOLU HISARI

Description

Essentials about Anadolu Hisari in brief

Anadolu Hisari (Anatolian Fortress) is a medieval castle located on the Asia Minor shore of the Bosphorus. The fortress is the oldest surviving Ottoman structure in Istanbul. It was built in 1393/94 at the behest of Sultan Bayezid I as part of the siege fortifications of Constantinople, which was then still under Byzantine rule. The castle complex occupies an area of 1.7 hectares and is dominated by a 25-meter square tower in the middle of a pentagonal fortress with watchtowers.

Anadolu and Rumeli Hisari

Together with the Rumeli Hisari fortress, located on the opposite European bank of the Bosphorus, it was possible to control all shipping traffic on the Bosphorus from Anadolu Hisari. The optimal military-strategic location of the two fortresses is also explained by the fact that they were built at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus. The strait is only 660 meters wide here.

The history of Anadolu Hisari

Under Sultan Mehmed II, the fortress was expanded with additional watchtowers and other facilities, and its walls were strengthened. It was also Mehmed II who ordered the construction of its sister fortress Rumeli Hisari on the other bank of the Bosphorus. The two fortifications helped significantly in the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans. After the fall of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul), Anadolu Hisari was used as a customs house and military prison. In the 1990-ies, the fortifications were renovated.

The village of the same name, located next to the castle, is also worth a visit. It consists of listed old wooden houses and has a small harbor known for its boat trips and restaurants with great views of the Bosphorus.