Walls of Istanbul - The Yedikule Gate

Istanbul, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire at the time, was surrounded by walls of about 20 kilometers at that time. This line of defense protected the city from numerous attempts of conquest between 413 and 1453.

These Byzantine ruins that spread over the historical peninsula of the city are examined in three sections as land, sea, and Golden Horn; approximately 6.5 kilometers of the line are in the form of land walls. The other walls are based on the defense of the city against attacks from the sea by extending along the shores of the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea. The walls on the land are still standing partially or significantly in many parts of Istanbul today and draw attention with their gates, most of which were built during the Byzantine period.

For trade, military or routine reasons, the passages between the interior and exterior of the land walls were made through the gates opening to the walls. Before the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottoman Empire in 1453, it is known that there were 45 gates on the walls. 11 of the gates, most of which were closed after the conquest, are open and can be visited today. One of these gates is the Yedikule (Seven Towers) Gate.

One of the two ends of the Istanbul land walls extending from the Golden Horn to the Marmara Sea begins with the Marble Tower. After the Marble Tower, there is the Golden Gate and the Yedikule Gate approximately 100 meters away from this gate and it is one of the most interesting destinations that you can encounter along the walls.

There is an inscription written in Ottoman Turkish on the historical gate within the border of the Fatih district, but there is also a Byzantine relief. In fact, the walls of Yedikule are half Byzantine, half Turkish in general. Its name comes from the seven towers in its name and three of them were built during the period of Mehmed the Conqueror while four of them were built during the Byzantine period.

The famous place known as Dungeons of Yedikule is also located here. Ambassadors were imprisoned here in Ottoman times. The traces of the names carved in different languages and various dates on its walls can be seen very clearly.