Turkey · 15th century
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.
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 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.
Text adapted from “Yedikule Fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Yedikule Fortress ranks #395 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #11 of the 129 mapped in Turkey. Founded 1458, it is older than 46% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 554 atlas entries founded in the 15th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 10,186 times in the last 60 days, more than 94% of the atlas. 23 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Istanbul, 4 km away. See how Turkey compares in the castle statistics.
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