Rumelihisarı also known as Rumelian Castle and Roumeli Hissar Castle or Boğazkesen Castle (literally meaning “Strait-Cutter Castle”) is a medieval fortress located in Istanbul, Turkey, on a series of hills on the European banks of the Bosphorus. The fortress also lends its name to the immediate neighborhood around it in the city’s Sarıyer district.
Conceived and built between 1451 and 1452 on the orders of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, the complex was commissioned in preparation for a planned Ottoman siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople,[1] with the goal of cutting off maritime military and logistical relief that could potentially come to the Byzantines’ aid by way of the Bosphorus Strait, hence the fortress’s alternative name, “Boğazkesen”, i.e. “Strait-cutter” Castle. Its older sister structure, Anadoluhisari (“Anatolian Fortress”), sits on the opposite banks of the Bosporus, and the two fortresses worked in tandem during the final siege to throttle all naval traffic along the Bosphorus, thus helping the Ottomans achieve their goal of making the city of Constantinople (later renamed Istanbul) their new imperial capital in 1453.
The site for the new fortress was quickly decided to be the narrowmost point of the Bosphorus, where the strait is a mere 660 meters (2,170 ft) wide.
Today, the fortress is a popular museum open to the public, and further acts as an open-air venue for seasonal concerts, art festivals, and special events.
In a previous Ottoman attempt to conquer the city, Sultan Murad II (1421–44, 1446–51) had encountered difficulties due to a blockade of the Bosphorus by the Byzantine fleet. Having learned the importance of maritime strategy from this earlier attempt, Sultan Mehmed II (1444–46, 1451–81), son of Murad II, started planning a new offensive immediately following his ascent to the throne in 1451. In response to the coronation of the ambitious young Sultan, Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI (1449–53), who understood Mehmed’s intentions on Constantinople and was wary of the threat posed by the growing Ottoman influence in the region, hoped to secure a diplomatic solution that would protect the city, while averting the Byzantines’ long-term decline. Mehmed refused the offer of peace proffered, and proceeded with his siege plans by commissioning the construction of a large fortress that would be used to control all sea traffic along the Bosphorus, and would work together with the older Anadoluhisari (Anatolia Fortress) on the strait to prevent any possible maritime aid from reaching Constantinople during the final Ottoman siege of the city in 1453, particularly from Genoese colonies along the Black Sea, such as Caffa, Sinop and Amasra.
With the help of thousands of masons and workers, the fortress was completed in a record time of 4 months and 16 days on August 31, 1452. According to popular lore, in order to encourage his builders to work faster, the Sultan designed the fortress’s layout in the shape of the name of the Muslim prophet Muhammed in Arabic script when read from above. As Muhammad and Mehmed share the same Arabic spelling (محمد), it is likely that this act was also made as an homage to himself.
Entrance fee: 18 TL
Closed at: all Wednesdays and after 7:00 pm