Istanbul’s Top Sights - Istanbul - page 305

Nikoğos Balyan designed a rococo gem in marble for his monarch. You'll see its ornate
cast-iron fence, boat dock and wedding-cake exterior from the ferry.
Close to the Fatih Bridge are the majestic structures of Rumeli Hisarı OFFLINE MAP (Fort-
ress of Europe; 212-263 5305; Yahya Kemal Caddesi 42; admission 3; 9am-noon & 12.30-4.30pm
Thu-Tue; Rumeli Hisarı) and Anadolu Hisarı OFFLINE MAP (Fortress of Anatolia). Mehmet
the Conqueror had Rumeli Hisarı built in a mere four months in 1452, in preparation for
his siege of Byzantine Constantinople. For its location, he chose the narrowest point of the
Bosphorus, opposite Anadolu Hisarı, which Sultan Beyazıt I had built in 1391. By doing
so, Mehmet was able to control all traffic on the strait, cutting the city off from resupply
by sea.
To speed Rumeli Hisarı's completion, Mehmet ordered each of his three viziers to take
responsibility for one of the three main towers. If the tower's construction was not com-
pleted on schedule, the vizier would pay with his life. Not surprisingly, the work was
completed on time. The useful military life of the mighty fortress lasted less than one year.
After the conquest of Constantinople, it was used as a glorified Bosphorus tollbooth for a
while, then as a barracks, a prison and finally as an open-air theatre.
Within Rumeli Hisarı's walls are parklike grounds, an open-air theatre and the minaret
of a ruined mosque. Steep stairs (with no barriers, so beware!) lead up to the ramparts and
towers; the views of the Bosphorus are magnificent. Just next to the fortress is a clutch of
cafes and restaurants, the most popular of which are Sade Kahve, Nar Cafe and Mama.
The ferry doesn't stop at Rumeli Hisarı; you can either leave the ferry at Kanlıca and
catch a taxi across the Fatih Bridge (this will cost around 20 including the bridge toll) or
you can visit on your way back to town from Sarıyer. Though it's not open as a museum,
visitors are free to wander about Anadolu Hisarı's ruined walls.
There are many architecturally and historically important yalıs in and around Anadolu
Hisarı. These include the Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı OFFLINE MAP , built for
one of Mustafa II's grand viziers in 1698 and the oldest yalı on the Bosphorus. Next door,
the Zarif Mustafa Paşa Yalı OFFLINE MAP was built in the early 19th century by the official
coffee maker to Sultan Mahmut II. Look for its upstairs salon, which juts out over the wa-
ter and is supported by unusual curved timber struts.
Almost directly under the Fatih Bridge on the European shore is the huge stone To-
phane Müşiri Zeki Paşa Yalı OFFLINE MAP , a mansion built in the early 20th century for a
field marshall in the Ottoman army. Later, it was sold to Sabiha Sultan, daughter of
Mehmet VI, the last of the Ottoman sultans, and her husband İmer Faruk Efendi, grandson
of Sultan Abdül Aziz. When the sultanate was abolished in 1922, Mehmet walked from
this palace onto a British warship, never to return to Turkey.