Rumeli Hisarı

My favorite work of architecture is “Rumeli Hisari”, the Rumelian Castle, located just by the sea on the European banks of Bosphorus, which connects the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II had this small fortress built before he started the siege of Constantinople to cut-off any possible shipment of reinforcements from the Black Sea region.

The construction embraces three main towers, one small tower, and thirteen watchtowers. The towers were named after the Pashas who had supervised the construction of each tower. The tower in the north was called Saruca Pasha Tower, but now it is called Fatih (means “conqueror” in Turkish) Tower. It is 28 meters tall, has a diameter of 23.5 meters and has 7 meters thick walls. The other tower is called Halil Pasha Tower, which stands right next to the water and in the middle of the fortress. They both have nine stories. Halil Pasha Tower is 22 meters tall. Its walls are 6.5 meters thick and it also has a diameter of 23.5 meters. The third tower is named after Zaganos Pasha. This one only has eight stories. It is 21 meters tall, has a diameter of 26.7 meters and 5.7 meters thick walls. Moreover, the watchtowers are in different forms. One of them is in the shape of a quadrangular prism. Six of them are prisms with multiple corners and other six have cylindrical shapes. There are three gates situated next to the main towers, one side gate and two secret gates, which the soldiers were able to reach the arsenal and the food cellar through gates. In addition to this, Sultan Mehmet had commissioned 400 Janissaries. They were living in little wooden barracks in the courtyard. They also had a small mosque.

The main reason that lies underneath the construction of Rumeli Hisari is Sultan Mehmet’s plans on Constantinople. He built the fortress to the opposite side of the other and smaller fortress called Anadolu Hisari (the Anatolian Castle) on the Asian side of Bosphorus. They are both situated at the narrowest part of the Bosphorus to blockade the help that may have come from Black Sea during the siege in 1453. With the help of the fortress, the Ottomans were able to control the navigation on this narrow sea-lane. The ships could only cross if permitted. Thus, Ottomans gained a strategic advantage over the defendants.

            In a nutshell, the fortress played a very significant role in the conquest. It contributed to the fall of Constantinople. Sultan Mehmet II had taken every precaution to reach his goal. He was given the title of “Fatih” Sultan Mehmet (Mehmet the Conqueror), which also represents the great victory. The fortress is not only useful in the history but also in 20^th and 21^st century. It hosts international festivals and concerts especially during summer. Although the usage has changed over time, it is amazing that we still have the fortress in Istanbul after five hundred years since it was built.

Rumeli Hisari. Digital image. Http://www.fazturkey.com/Files/User/Product/Orjinal/471_rumeli_hisari_istanbul.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web.

 

 

Rumeli Hisari 2. Digital image. Http://www.hg2istanbul.com/uploadedimages/venues/Istanbul_culture_RumeliHisari_1.jpg. N.p., n.d. Web.