Yedikule – City Walls of Istanbul
Yedikule - City walls of Istanbul
People from the world over love to throng to various famous sights and places in the city of Istanbul in Turkey. This is because this is one city which is home to not one or two but countless tourist destinations located within the province of one city. And no tourist can afford to miss visiting such a place.
The map of Istanbul is full of several historical gems hitherto unexplored by many of us. You can choose to travel by taxi to enjoy the beauties of Sultanahmet. As you pass by through the old city walls and lanes, you will witness the falling ruins of the old structures. Also, you will see many new establishments including houses, parks and businesses rising on the ruins of the falling structures.
Yedikule - City walls of Istanbul
Nonetheless, one thing is for sure, that you cannot fail to see the exotic blend of ancient era into the modern in the most perfect and natural manner. This is exactly true for the fortress of Yedikule, which is an amalgamation of Ottoman as well as Byzantine architecture. This is a monument of history that offers some stunning views of not only the city but also of the Marmara Sea as well.
Also known by the name of Seven Tower Castle, the famous complex of Yedikule was built way back in 388 to mark the celebrations of the win of Theodius I (379-395) over the ruler Magnus Maximus. This monument originally started as the Golden Gate. Made in the Roman style, Yedikule gate had a huge archway in the center with two small and plain arches on both sides.
Yedikule - City walls of Istanbul
Originally, the structure had decorations of sculptures including two winged victories and four bronze elephants. Also, it had beautiful gold plating. The gate of Yedikule was situated on the Via Egnatia, a common Roman roadway stretching from Constantinople right through the three provinces namely Thrace, Illyria and Macedonia.
The city walls were extended to include the famous Golden Gate after Theodosius II rose to power in 408. Until the year 1261, the Golden Gate remained to be used as a venue for important imperial ceremonies. It was only when Michael VIII Palaeologus came riding a white horse after winning Constantinople that this practice came to a halt. And the wall had to be closed after a series of defeats in fight during the last two centuries of the Byzantine Era.
After the city was conquered by the Ottomans, the gate was amalgamated and merged into the structure of Yedikule. Majority of the workforce required for erecting the fortress was provided by the military.
The construction details and related works were done under the observation of Karistiran Mustafa Bey. The name refers, no doubt, to a castle, but it was seldom used for as a residence by the royals. Rather, it was used extensively as the state prison and the royal treasury. Many foreign emissaries, after earning disfavor and wrath of the sultans, used to be incarnated at this place. And many knew that once they went inside the tine cells of this prison, they would not see the open air of the sky any more. So, in their desperation, several prisoners wrote their names or last words on the tiny and dark chambers of the prison.
It was a general trend or the practice to either behead the prisoners or to throw them from the top of its walls so as to let them suffer an agonizing and painful death. But, it was believed that those, who were beheaded, had to die a slow death. Also, many were subject to extreme torture even as the hands and ears of the prisoners were cut off before executing death sentence.
Just to the left of the main or the central gate lies the bloody well commonly referred as ‘kanlikuyu’. All the executions were performed near this well and the severed heads of the prisoners were thrown inside the bloody well that were eventually sweeped and taken away by the channel into the Marmara Sea. The channel was a connecting link between the open water and the well.
Yedikule, with its glorious history of honor, torture and death, happens to quite an important relic reminiscing of the past of Istanbul. However, the sad thing about most tourists from various parts of the world is that they, somehow, fail to realize the significance of this timeless monument that is, undoubtedly, beyond the confines of time. The small chambers as well as the too narrow corridors of the historical towers certainly give a feeling of foreboding even on a day full of bright sunshine.
The warm and inviting breezes coming from the famous Marmara Sea greet the visitors and offer the much sought after relief from the drag, dreary and horrific cells located just below. And as one sees all around, it is not uncommon to know and accept the reason why Yedikule had an important relation with the old walls of the city.
The visit to this grand fortress is certainly worth enjoying, especially when accompanied by your friends. the gatekeeper at the entry point to this fortress is all the more happy to see you coming for exploring this great monument. The reason being that this is one site, an interesting mixture of Ottoman and Byzantine history and architecture, which is rarely included in the list of the sites to be visited by the tourists visiting Istanbul.
