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Bright Sun
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At the narrowest
part of the Bosphorus,
Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror ordered
the great fortress of Rumeli
Hisari to be
built on the European
shore in order
to control commercial and
military
traffic in preparation for the siege
of siege of Constantinople.
He pitted his pashas (generals)
against one another, daring them all
to be the first to complete his towers
and crenellated walls. The competition
was fierce, and the huge fortress was
completed in only four months.
Once
completed, Rumeli Hisari,
in concert with Anadolu
Hisari on the
Asian
shore
just opposite, controlled all traffic
on the Bosphorus, and cut the city
off from resupply by sea from the
north.
The mighty fortress's useful military
life was less than one year. Mehmet's
armines conquered the Byzantine capital
several months later, and then there
was no need for Rumeli Hisari.
The fortress
was
used as a
rather large and impressive
Bosphorus toll booth for
awhile, then as a barracks, later as a prison, and
finally as an open-air theater, but never again as
a fortress.
Above the towns of Rumeli
Hisari and
Bebek you'll notice the New
England 19th-century-style architecture
of Bogaziçi
Üniversitesi (Bosphorus University),
formerly Robert College, founded by the American
Board for Foreign
Missions over a century ago.
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Above,
the view of the Bosphorus and Fatih
Bridge.
Below, the armored
doors of the fortress, and
an aerial view. |
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