Rumeli Fortress

Rumeli Fortress, standing directly across the water from its Anatolian counterpart, holds an important place in world architecture. Construction was completed in only 4 months and 16 days, in itself a phenomenal feat and a record. The three large towers of the fortress have the biggest castle bastions in the world - a second unbroken record. Between the two fortresses lies the narrowest point of the Bosphorus. The site of the Rumeli Fortress was decided by Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, and he contributed to its planning.

The construction began on 15 April 1452 and was completed on 31 August the same year. Three pashas were each given responsibility for the construction of a section, while the sultan, supervised construction of the waterside section. The three towers were then named after Saruca Pasha, Zagnos Pasha, and Halil Pasha. Saruca Pasha and Zagnos Pasha towers have nine floors, including the ground floor. And Zagnos Pasha tower has eight floors. The thickness of the walls varies from 5.70 meters to 7 meters. The name "Mehmed", written in Ottoman Turkish, may be seen by looking from the top of the fortress. Sultan Mehmed originally named it Hisar Bogazkesen (Bosphorus Cutter Castle), because passage on the Bosphorus could be cut off at that point, but it was later named Rumeli Fortress. After it lost its military importance, houses were built inside of it, which remain today.