Haft Burj Castle or Yidikole Castle One of the best options to start visiting the best Sights of Istanbul Is. The seven towers of the walls of this castle have given it the name Yidikole. The three towers of this castle were built during the time of Muhammad Fatih and the other four towers were built during the Byzantine period. These towers show the age of this castle and each of them has a rich history and stories hidden in their heart. Yidikole Castle is one of the historical castles of the city, which was used both during the Roman Empire and during the Ottoman rule. The walls of this castle are 22 kilometers long. Of course, the attractions of Yidikole Castle do not end only with its history. In the warm months of the year, theaters, concerts and various cultural festivals are held in the inner courtyard of the castle. If you are ready for an adventure in Istanbul, we recommend that you also visit Yedikuleh Castle.
History of Istanbul Yidikole Castle
What is known today as Yedicule was called “Heptapyrgion” in the Byzantine period. The foundations of Yedicule Castle were laid for the first time during the period of the Eastern Roman Empire. In the period of Theodoius II (408-450), the city walls were first built, most of which still exist today. Along with the increase of attacks in the Byzantine period, the architecture of the walls changed and took a defensive and three-stage form, as a result of which, one level was added to the walls and the second level was placed in front of it with a moat. The construction of the walls of Istanbul’s Yidikule Castle was aimed at preventing attacks; But the boundaries of the area that we call Yidikole were also defined by the construction of this wall.
Yidikole Castle, which is famous for its black holes and legends from past centuries, was built in 413. This castle, which is part of the walls, was also designed by the order of the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II; A person who valued architecture a lot. Over time, magnificent gates were added to the walls of the castle, the most famous of which is the Golden Gate, which is also called the Victory Arch. The Golden Gate was built after the completion of the construction of the castle in 439, to enter the city after the wars.
The Golden Gate was the most important entrance gate during the Byzantine Empire, when the kings returned from the campaigns and entered the city through this gate. The reason for this gate’s fame as the Golden Gate is because of the gilded wings on its doors, which were built after the victory of one of the Byzantine emperors in 425. When the city was besieged by the Arabs, the gaps were filled and the gates narrowed; But before the Crusades, the gates were still strong.
After the conquest of Istanbul and the defeat of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire, the conqueror Sultan Muhammad repaired the walls and the reconstruction work began in the capital. Many experts were brought in from all over the empire. These people settled on the coastline that stretches from the shores of the Golden Horn to Topkapi and Yedikol. In the same period, in 1458, three towers were added to the complex of these fortifications by using the two columns of the Golden Gate. Yidikole became an inner castle and it was formed as three towers and an inner castle with five pointed stars, which was formed by the city walls.
The towers around the pentagonal frame of the building are Osman Javan Tower or Southern Pylon or the same tower where Sultan Osman II was killed, Armoury Tower, Sultan Ahmed III Tower or Pastorama Tower, Treasury Tower or Millet Tower, Black Tower. Chal or the Inscriptions Tower, Top Tower or the Daughters Tower, and the Flag Tower.
The towers of Yidikole Castle were used as an observatory, prison and place of execution in the Eastern Roman period; However, in the Ottoman period, in addition to prisons and places of execution, they were also used as treasury, ammunition storage, and grain storage. The purpose of building Yidikole Castle, which was protected by artillery, was not only to defend the city, but also to keep documents and valuable property belonging to the government and to use it as a dungeon for imprisoned political criminals.
Yidikole Castle was the place of detention of the imprisoned Ottoman men and ambassadors of the countries that the Ottoman Empire had fought in Istanbul. It has been narrated that this range of prisoners could move freely inside the castle and also stay in neighboring houses.
architecture Yidikole Castle, Istanbul
Yidikole Castle, with an area of about 22 kilometers, has protected the city of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire during the siege of the enemies. This castle has been destroyed many times over time and has been rebuilt; Especially with the construction of cannon houses, the walls of this castle collapsed and Constantinople also fell. Yidikole Castle has been rebuilt at least twice in 1958 and 1970.
This castle is one of the rare examples of architecture belonging to the Byzantine and Ottoman periods; The architecture that ultimately shows the simplicity of the fortress and the importance of the city. Four towers out of the seven towers of Yidikole Castle were built as part of the walls of Theodosius II, and the other three towers were placed inside the walls by the order of Muhammad Fatih.
In the outer space of the towers of Yidikole Castle, there are parts such as a large pond and water feature, a simple mosque, a resting place for soldiers, a gunpowder storehouse, and a school. In the interior of each tower, there are stone rooms that are connected through internal stair corridors; But when you look inside each tower from above, you will see only an empty and stone pillar.
The towers built in the Ottoman period were connected with five-meter thick walls and triangular or semi-circular fortifications. The upper parts of the big tower are covered with tall and two-part pyramidal cones. Of these three big towers, the cylindrical towers are the millet or treasury in the northeast and the top tower in the southeast, and the prismatic tower is the dungeon tower or inscriptions.
The towers of Istanbul’s Yidikule Castle
In the following article, we will introduce the towers of Yidikole Castle in Istanbul, four of these seven towers were built by the Byzantine emperors, and three of them were built during the reign of Fatih Sultan.
The Byzantine Tower of Yedicule Castle in Istanbul
The Byzantine Tower, known as the Pastorama Tower, which was originally quadrangular, was located in the north of the towers and next to the columns of the Golden Gate. This tower was damaged by the earthquake. In 1724-1725, this tower was rebuilt in an octagonal form. Pastorama Tower, whose construction began during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1730-1703), was completed during the reign of Sultan Osman III (1752-1757). After that, this tower became known as “Sultan Ahmad III Tower”.
Osman Javan tower of Yidikole castle
Young Osman, who was the youngest name among Ottoman sultans, was killed on the second floor of this place. Therefore, this tower is called the Young Osman Tower.
Weapons tower of Yidikole castle
Since this building was once used as an ammunition depot, it got the name Armament Tower. And thousands of people, including two government prisoners, have been killed in the armory tower of Yidikole castle.
Ahmed Tower, Yidikole, Istanbul
The name of this tower is taken from the name of the Sultan of that time, who contributed a lot to the repair of Ahmed Tower. But this tower could not withstand the earthquake and now it has been destroyed.
Treasury Tower of Yedikuleh Castle in Istanbul
The treasury tower in Yidikole Castle during the Ottoman Empire hosted the first treasure and valuable documents of this empire. During the reign of Murat III, the state treasury was moved to Topkapi Palace and Yedicule became a prison and a dungeon. At that time, the name of the Treasury Tower was also known as the Burning Mansion. The reason it became known by this name was the damage caused by the fire of the burning mansion next to the tower; Of course, the tower was repaired later.
Ball Tower of Yidikole Castle
This tower was severely damaged in fires and now there are not many traces of it. Also, Top Tower was used as a prison at that time and political prisoners were imprisoned or even killed in this tower. are
Flag tower of the castle
The tower above the entrance gate is called the Flag Tower. On top of this tower, there are guard rooms on the right and left side of the gate. The flag tower is one of the strongest among the seven towers, and since a flag was raised on top of it, it was a place where soldiers kept guard.
The dungeon tower of Yidikole castle
As its name implies, the dungeon tower is used as a dungeon. This tower is also known as the Tower of Inscriptions because of the writings of European prisoners on its walls. Parts of the dungeon tower are made of wood; For this reason, this tower was damaged in a fire. The well known as Serpentine or Blood Well is also located in this tower.
Legends of Yidikole Castle
Most of the legends and rumors published about Yedicule are due to the marble tower, which today has never reached its original form in the past. This tower, which was built right next to the Theodosian walls, has four floors and is known to have been used as an execution tower and prison during the Byzantine period.
The most important person who was imprisoned in Yedikol and brutally murdered by soldiers is Sultan Osman II nicknamed Osman the Younger. Apart from him, there are other important names among the prisoners, such as Kandarli Halil Pasha and his sons, the Greek Emperor of Trabzon, David Komnos and his sons, the last Abbasid caliph Mutawakkul IV and the Khan of Karima Mehmet Girai.
There are so many rumors about Yidikole tower that the black holes of Yedikole are remembered as cursed black holes; These rumors have wandered from city to city and have formed many legends around this castle. Among the surviving legends of the Yedicul black holes, the most common is the hatred of the pagans. According to legends, prisoners imprisoned in black holes were pagans. In European countries, pagans were tortured; Because they were thought to be high-ranking missionaries or spies.
Among them, the one who could not bear the torture, at the time of death uttered words similar to prayer in a language similar to ancient Latin. Later, these events were heard by the guards and some people thought that he cursed; But the dying pagan wished that the souls of the tortured people would remain imprisoned in the walls and prisons until the day when Christ comes to this world, and these souls would be released to testify on the day of Christ’s coming. For this reason, it is rumored that sometimes screams and even words in a language similar to Latin can be heard from the black holes of Yedicul.
How to go to Yidikule Castle in Istanbul?
Yidikole Castle is located in Fatih neighborhood of Istanbul. This fort is spread from Sarayorno to Bakar Kui. Yidikole Castle is located 10 km from Taksim Square and 6 km from Golden Branch Khilaj. One of the most convenient ways to go to Yidikole Castle is to use a bus, for this you can board a bus from Taksim Square and go directly to Yedikole Castle.
Another way is to use the metro, to go to this castle you have to take the Marmara metro line and get off at the Kazlichme station and walk a little to the Yidikole castle.
Address: Istanbul, Fateh neighborhood, Yidikole Square, Yedikole Castle
Visit information
Yidikole Castle is open every day except Wednesdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
The entrance fee to Istanbul Yidikole Castle is five liras.
Contact number: +902124531453
Nearby attractions
It is true that seeing Istanbul’s Yidikule Castle, due to its large size and various historical parts, will occupy half of your day, but after visiting this historical castle, you can visit other places of interest around Yedikole Castle. Among the places of interest around Yedicule Castle, the following can be mentioned:
Blue Mosque, Topkapi PalaceAromatic spice market, New Mosque or Yeni Jami, Basilica Cistern, Istanbul Grand Bazaar, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Hagia Sophia Mosque, Rostam Pasha MosqueIstanbul Mosaic Museum and Galata Bridge.
Nearby hotels
Since this area is one of the important tourist areas of Turkey and the city of Istanbul and its buildings are very historical and beautiful, there are good hotels around these buildings that you can stay at with good discounts. Istanbul hotel reservations Apply from the 24 stay site.
Here, we introduce the closest hotels to Istanbul’s Yidikule Castle:
5-star Marmara Hotel, 5-star Ramada Merter Hotel, 5-star Radisson Hotel, 5-star Arcgon Hotel, 5-star Artez Hotel, 5-star Grand Jawahar Hotel, 5-star Elite World Hotel, 5-star Hilton Beaumonti Hotel.
4-star La Villa Hotel, 4-star Elite World Prestige Hotel, 4-star Golden Park Hotel, 4-star Green Park Hotel, Arach, 4-star New Plaza Crystal Hotel, 4-star Titanic City Taksim Hotel, 4-star Konak Hotel, 4-star Carton Hotel .
3-star Baikal Hotel, 3-star Abiso Hotel, 3-star Herton Hotel, 3-star Hobi Hotel, 3-star Grand Amin Hotel, 3-star Fide Hotel.
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