Rumelihisarı (Fortress), located in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul, Turkey, on a hill at the European side of the Bosphorus. It gives the name of the quarter around it. It was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople. The three great towers were named after three of Mehmed II’s viziers, Sadrazam Çandarlı Halil Pasha, who built the big tower next to the gate, Zağanos Pasha, who built the south tower, and Sarıca Pasha, who built the north tower.
Rumelihisarı was built by Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452 in order to control the sea traffic on the Bosphorus strait and prevent aid from the Black Sea to reach Constantinople during the Turkish siege of the city in 1453, particularly from the Genoese colonies such as Caffa, Sinop and Amasra. In a previous Ottoman attempt to conquer the city, Sultan Murad II (1404–1451) had encountered difficulties due to a blockade of the Bosphorus by the Byzantine fleet.
Since 1960 Rumelihisarı has been a museum and an open-air theater for various concerts at festivals during the summer months.
Halil Pasha Tower, Rumelihisarı.
General view from Rumelihisarı, with the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in the background.
The history here is anazing. I wont repeat what others have shared about how it was built but will share that it could be dangerous fir children. No rails for all the steps etc.
5TL entry well worth it. It is closed on Wed. And at least currently it closes at 4:30.
From Kabatas take bus 25E and to return…
Amazing Fortress on the European side of Istanbul along the Bosphorus River next to the famous Bosphorus Bridge which connects Asia and Europe. You will always see this while on the Bosphorus Cruise but we managed to stop here for a few minutes to have a look around and this old castle is simply stunning
A bit difficult to reach, it takes 40 minutes from Kabataz on the bus 28 or 42. Admission is only 5 liras. A bit dangerous, stairs are old, some steps are mission, but a very beautiful view from the top of the towers. Area around is also very nice
Rumeli Fortress offers awesome Bosphorus views and some relief from large crowds. We took the bus up to Rumeli after doing Dolmabache, takes about 40 minutes (plus it's a great contrast to the palace). Absolutely worth the time to get out to the fortress! Consider bringing your lunch, would be an awesome spot for that. We spent about an hour…
There are not many fortresses which date from over 500 years ago where you can climb the stairs to the top and are rewarded with fantastic views of the Bosporus. The ruins were not maintained and some of the stairs look dangerous when windy but this all adds to the authenticity of the place and what I like about attractions…
Being there made one feel as if one was preparing for the Siege of Constantinople with the Ottoman armies
The Rumelis Fortress was one of my favorite in Instanbul. Be ready to climb up stairs so I would recommend gym shoes (I was wearing flip flops and I was fine, but gym shoes would have been more comfortable). The views were spectacular and it was fun to put some physical activity into the the day. If you have small…
I saw Rumeli Hisari at some postcards, and from ship when i got Bosfor tour, but i never have been inside this fortress. So i came to Ortakoy, and i took taxi from there. Of course i could take bus, but taxi driver said i will pay only 15 TL, so i used his yellow car :-)…. In 20 minutes…
I used to go here all the time when I lived in Istanbul. It was just down the street from where I lived. The views of the Bosphorus are worth the climb up the steps. It is in the village called Bebek,where you can have a meal before going to see the fortress. Its sister building across the water is…
The Rumeli Hasan was built by Mehmet the Conqueror in just four months in 1452. It was built at the narrowest part of the Bosphorous, across the strait from the Anadolu Fortress, and was part of his strategy to control the traffic on the Bosphorous. It soon turned into a very expensive and ineffective toll booth. This fortification is very…