İstanbul · Boğaziçi · Turkey

Rumeli Hisarı

Rumeli Fortress

HistoricViewpoint photo spotgoogle verified

~60 min

moderate

9/10

best: sunset

romantic

A local would say...

Built in 4 months to strangle Constantinople — Pamuk played among the ancient cannons as a boy, imagining the siege

Mehmet the Conqueror built this mighty fortress in just four months in 1452, at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, to strangle Constantinople's supply line from the Black Sea. Three massive towers connected by thick curtain walls loom over the strait — inside, the grassy amphitheatre now hosts summer concerts. The views of the Bosphorus from the battlements are among the best in the city.