Yedikule Fortress

Yedikule Fortress
Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
Aerial photograph of Yedikule Fortress
Yedikule Fortress is located in Istanbul Fatih
Yedikule Fortress
Yedikule Fortress
Coordinates40°59′36″N 28°55′23″E / 40.9933525°N 28.923093°E / 40.9933525; 28.923093
TypeCastle
Site history
Built1458
Built byMehmed II
Golden Gate of Yedikule

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 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.