![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Istanbul_asv2021-11_img61_Yedikule.jpg/640px-Istanbul_asv2021-11_img61_Yedikule.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Yedikule Fortress
Fortress in Istanbul / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yedikule Fortress (Turkish: Yedikule Hisarı or Yedikule Zindanları; meaning "Fortress of the Seven Towers") is a fortified historic structure located in the Yedikule neighbourhood of Fatih, in Istanbul, Turkey.
Yedikule Fortress | |
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Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey | |
![]() Aerial photograph of Yedikule Fortress | |
Coordinates | 40.9933525°N 28.923093°E / 40.9933525; 28.923093 |
Type | Castle |
Site history | |
Built | 1458 |
Built by | Mehmed II |
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Istanbul_asv2021-11_img57_Yedikule.jpg/640px-Istanbul_asv2021-11_img57_Yedikule.jpg)
Built in 1458 on the commission of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, the seven-tower complex was created by adding three new towers and fully enclosing a section of the ancient Walls of Constantinople, including the two twin towers that originally constituted the triumphal Golden Gate (Turkish: Altınkapı) built by Roman Emperors Theodosius I and Theodosius II.
The fortress came to be known as the home of a formidable royal dungeon that housed notable figures throughout its history, and the associated intrigue captured the public's imagination over the centuries in various legends, stories, and the arts.