Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We now come to Gyllius' Fane of Jove, by which he means the
temple of Zeus Ourious, Zeus of the Favouring Wind, and the
Hieron or holy precinct where there were shrines of the Twelve
Gods. Keçili Liman is bounded on the south by a cape still known
by a version of its ancient name, Yoros or Yeros Burnu, doubtless
from Ourious. The temple or temples were founded by Phrixos,
evidently on a “stop-over” while the winged ram with the golden
fleece was flying him towards Colchis. Another version is that the
shrines were founded by Jason on his return journey; but we must
refer our readers to Gyllius' lengthy and erudite discussion of the
pros and cons: he did like his mythology to make sense! At all events,
the Hieron must have been somewhere near the site now occupied
by the so-called Genoese Castle. Like the opposite castle above
Rumeli Kavağı, this one is not really Genoese but Byzantine, as is
shown by various Greek inscriptions still to be found in the walls.
About the middle of the fourteenth century both castles were taken
over by the Genoese who assumed responsibility for the defence of
the northern approaches to Constantinople; they may have repaired
and extended the fortifications. Gyllius rather oddly describes this
castle as small though it is in fact by far the largest fortress on the
Bosphorus, almost twice the area of Rumeli Hisarı; doubtless he was
thinking not of the long surrounding walls but only of the citadel
itself, probably the only part still inhabited in his day. Evliya tells us
that Beyazit I built a mosque there and that Fatih Mehmet restored
and garrisoned it.
ANADOLU KAVAĞI TO BEYKOZ
Below the castle to the south is the village of Anadolu Kavağı, the first
village of any size on the Asiatic shore and the last stop on this side
of the Bosphorus ferry. The fortifications here, like those at Rumeli
Kavağı, were built in 1783 by Toussaint and increased in 1794 by
Monnier. To the south of the village, above the capes of Macar and
Sütlüce, is the hill now known as Yuşa Tepesi, Hill of Joshua, though
the Joshua in question seems not to have been Judge of Israel but
a local Muslim saint. The hill, except for Çamlıca the highest on
the Bosphorus - over 200 metres - was anciently called the Bed of
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