THE FORTRESS OF YEDIKULE

It is like the Bastille in Paris, or London Tower. It's first duty was to receive the combattants returning from the war, who passed below its Triumphal Arch. Like all Triumphal Arches, this monument had a high entrance in the centre, and two smaller arcades, one on either side, that can still be seen. Naturally the large arcade in the middle was reserved for the emperor's use. It is supposed that the monument was built in 380 by Theodosius after his victory over Maximus. At present after the important restorations carried out by the Turks, Yedikule has the following appearance:

From outside, that is in front of the walls and outside the city, looking from the road which passes directly in front, there is a cutting followed by a strip of land (second slope); built behind this by the Byzantines, on a low inclined wail, with two impressive marble columns, there is a gateway beneath an arcade resembling, with its cylindrical shapes and coloured arches, a model castle for children.

The name of this gate is Altin Kapi, the Golden Gate, or Aurea Porta of the Byzantines. The reason for this name is not known. Perhaps on account of its inscriptions in gold, perhaps because it was the most beautiful gate of the city. Byzantine historians relate that there was a statue of Theodosius the Great at this gate, destroyed in the 8th century during an earthquake. A group of four bronze elephants and a cross were destroyed in the same way during the 9th century under Manuel II in another earthquake.

In 708 Pope Constantine entered by this gate with great ceremony. According to usage and custom emperors returning from the wars entered the city by this gate. It is here that the men of state, the Greens and the Blues, and then the people came to receive the returning emperor. Behind, after a space of ground, were the real walls of the city and in the centre the Triumphal Entrance Gate of which we spoke earlier. With its two fortified towers, square in shape and faced with marble, rearing up before, it was a truly impressive sight. Today, as we pass beneath these arches, we feel ourselves carried back a thousand years into the past.

The wall where the triumphal arch was, was the west wall. Behind, on the northern, southern and eastern facades, the Turks built three towers and a high wall and tranformed this gate into a fortress with an interior courtyard. Since with the towers already built by the Byzantines this made seven towers, the Turks called the place Yedikule ,the Seven Towers. The first tower behind the entrance was built on the orders of Mehmet II in 1468, after the conquest of the city.

This fortress served later two different functions, quite opposite in their nature, but illustrating the small importance of human life - the treasury and the prison! Men who had fallen into disgrace were imprisoned here. Those condemned to death were beheaded here, and their heads thrown into the sea. The young Sultan Osman II, having tried to introduce reforms, was deposed by the janissaries in 1622 and assassinated here. When the Ottoman Government was at war without some other power, the representative of that power was imprisoned here. Entering by the town gate, you can find in the rooms and cells of the left hand tower writings in Latin and German inscribed on the walls by the foreigners who stayed here. Among these was the Russian Obreskow who was locked up in 1767 and remained there for many years, only to be released at the intercession of the French Ambassador. The Consul General of Yanya, Ponqueville, and later on the French Ambassador Ruffin knew the inside of these prisons but we do not know at whose instance they were released.

The historical buildings past Yedikule in the triangular area between the rear of the city walls and the coastal road that goes to Sarayburnu are these :

The classical mosque between the walls you see, when going down the country road parallel to the walls from Topkapi to Yedikule, belongs to Ibrahim Pasha. It was built by Sinan in 1551. It underwent a restoration in 1763.

The Mosque of Haci Evhat:

Behind Yedikule, it was built in 1585 by the person carrying the same name. In spite of the fact that this man was a butcher, the mosque he had built is surprisingly graceful. It was restored in 1945. Turkish bath, a fountain, and a convent are included in this complex.

The Church of the Monastery of Stoudios:

This is one of the most important temples of Byzantium. It was built in 463 and was repaired by Constantinos, the brother of Emperor Andronicos I, in 1290 after it was destroyed during the Latin invasions. After the conquest of the city by the Turks, it was changed into a mosque in Bayezid II's time and got the name of the person lmrahor llyas Bey, who sponsored the changing. The mosque burned down in a fire in the eighteenth century and was ruined in the earthquake of 1894. It remains as a Hellenistic construction with its open narthex. It has a twenty-four-columned cistern.

The Church of the Monastery of Andreas in Krisei (Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque):

This is estimated to have been built in the sixth century. It gained importance first in Basilios I's time and then following the Latin Invasion in 1284 during Theodora Raouleina's reign. The church was made into a mosque in 1486 by the pasha by whose name it is called today, and a convent was added to it. In the middle, the church had a Naos which was covered with a central dome. When it was being converted into a mosque, the columns were removed, the north and the south galleries were covered with semidomes, and a five domed and an arched courtyard was added. Thus, not much except for a few decorative column tops remain today from the original construction. In the garden, there is a strange pillar-shaped fountain that is dated 1737, and the courtyard is full of tombs. The numerous folk tales about the mosque, which are all Byzantine tales, are significant in showing the merge of the two cultures.

The Church of Martyrion Hagios Carpos and Hagios Papylos. (Ayos Minas Kilisesi):

The building, as it stands today, was built in 1833. However, the foundations and the first construction go as back as the fourth or the fifth centuries. It has a circular hall and a dome five meters high and twelve meters in diameter, but these have no connection with the original construction at all.

The Church of the Monastery of Peribleptos (Surp Kevork or Sulu Manastir):

This church is situated right behind the latter. This church was built towards the year 1031 by Romanos III Argyros, who was later buried here. The dome of the church rests on eight supports. The Greeks possessed the building until 1643 after which Sivekar, the Armenian favorite of the Sultan Ibrahim had the church appropriated to her folks. It burned down in 1782, leaving its place to the building at present. Only, the cellars have been able to survive from the Byzantine times.

Cemetery Chapel (Sancaktar Hayrettin Mescidi):

Its original date of construction is not known, but the famous Byzantines buried inside it had all lived in the ninth century. It had an interesting style in the shape of a Greek cross from the inside, and that of a polygonal from the outside; however, it was completely ruined in the 1894 earthquake.

The Mosque of Ramazan Efendi:

This mosque is near the Kocamustafa Pasha Avenue is one of the latest works of Sinan, who built it in 1586, Its fountain is tiny but very graceful, and the rectangular interior covered by a roof is decorated with bright and beautiful tiles. The person who financed the construction is Haci Husrev Aga; the name Ramazan Efendi comes from a famous preacher of the convent next door.

The Mosque of Hekimoglu Ali Pasha:

This mosque is built in 1732 by the grand vizier. Its plan is hexagonal with a central dome. It stands as the last example of classical Turkish architecture; because after this work, the western influence begins to be dominant. The minaret was rebuilt in 1830. In the complex are also a tomb and fountain; however, the most beautiful part is its library. It would not be unjust if one called this balconied and dome building set on an arch a gem. Unfortunately the 1126 volumes of books, 947 which were hand written, were removed from here and carried to the Library of Millet in Fatih.

The Cistern of Hagios Makios (Alti Mermer Cukur Bostani):

This is one of the open water supplies of Byzantium, is located between the Hekimoglu and the Ahmet Vefik Pasha Avenues. It dates from the first half of the sixth century. Its depth is fifteen and its area is 170 by 140 meters.

The Mosque of Davud Pasha:

This mosque was built in 1485 by the grand vizier of Bayezid II. It represents one of the earliest examples of Turkish architecture in Istanbul. It was restored after being ruined in the 1766 and 1894 earthquakes. The dome of the courtyard being lost in one of these catastrophes, only the pillars remain today. The interior of the mosque has a square plan and the central dome rests on an octagonal frame. The minaret was built at a more recent date. The school, the courtroom, and the kitchen for the poor people which were once a part of this complex do not exist any more, but the fountain and the medrese still remain. The medrese has seventeen small rooms and one big hail. On two of its pillars, one can see the Byzantine column heads. The tomb of the owner of the building is in the back of the mosque.

The Mosque of Cerrahpasa:

The person who had the mosque built was the grand vizier Mehmet Pasha, the surgeon of the palace. The work was constructed in 1593, but it had to be completely restored after the 1894 earthquake. Its dome rests on an hexagonal frame, and the arches are supported by six pillars. A tomb, a fountain, and a medrese are also included in this complex.