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At the narrowest
part of the Bosphorus,
Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror ordered
the great fortress of Rumeli
Hisarı to be
built on the European
shore in order
to control commercial and
military
traffic in preparation for the siege
of Constantinople.
He pitted his pashas (generals)
against one another, daring them all
to be the first to complete his particular
tower and crenellated walls. The competition
was fierce, and the huge fortress was
completed in only four months.
Once
completed, Rumeli Hisarı,
along with Anadolu
Hisarı on the
Asian
shore just opposite, controlled all traffic
on the Bosphorus, and cut the city
of Constantinople 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 Hisarı.
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.
Within the fortress are a ruined minaret
from the little mosque that served
the garrison, and a more modern open-air
theater where, in the 1960s,
I saw a good production of Shakespeare's A
Midsummer Night's Dream...in Turkish.
(So far as I know the theater is seldom
used for public theater these days.)
Located just north of the European
Bosphorus town of Bebek,
you can visit Rumeli Hisarı any
day of the week except Wednesday, when
it's closed, from 09:30 am to 16:30
(4:30 pm). There's
a small admission fee of a few liras.
Note: don't bring a picnic or snack,
as no
food is allowed in the fortress (only
water).
Also, none of the rough stone
staircases up to the walls, or the
ramparts atop the walls, has a guardrail,
so be very careful. A fall means serious
injury or death.
Above the towns of Rumeli
Hisarı 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.
You can take Bus 25E (Kabataş—Sarıyer)
to reach the fortress. Get out at the
Rumeli Hisarı stop. You can also make Rumeli
Hisarı a stop on your southward
land excursion after a northward Bosphorus
cruise. More...
Rumeli Hisarı
İstanbul Müzeler Hisarlar Müdürlüğü
Yahya Kemal Caddesi No. 42
Rumelihisarı, Sarıyer, Istanbul
Tel: +90 (212) 263 5305
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