Yedikule Fortress

Yedikule Hisarı was built by Mehmed II in the 1450s, using the existing towers of the Theodosian walls and adding three more to enclose a five-sided courtyard - hence the name, seven towers. The core of it is older and grander than the fortress: the Golden Gate, the Roman triumphal entrance to Constantinople, built in the late fourth century and once faced in marble with gilded doors, now walled up and standing inside the Ottoman enclosure. The fortress served as a treasury and later, for a long period, as a state prison, and the towers carry graffiti cut by people held in them. It was closed for years for restoration and has reopened; the courtyard is grass and paths, some towers can be entered, and the walls give a view over the district and out to the Marmara. Around it is Yedikule's market-garden belt, the bostans, worked continuously since Byzantine times and now under development pressure.

What you actually see

• The Golden Gate - the Roman triumphal arch inside the walls.
• The seven towers - the enclosure and its climbable sections.
• The prisoners' graffiti - inscriptions cut into the tower walls.
• The bostans - the historic market gardens outside.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Mornings are quiet; the site sees far fewer visitors than the Sultanahmet monuments.

Honest expectations

Restoration has been long and phased - some towers and stairs may be closed. Stone stairs are steep and unrailed. It is well outside the tourist centre, reached by train and a walk.

Nearby

The Theodosian walls run north from here; the Marmara shore and Kazlıçeşme are south.