Anadolu Hisari

Anadolu Hisari is one of the villages along the Bosphorus, on the Asian side and the one that I live in. It is named after the fortress built here in 1395 by Sultan Yildirim Bayezid, Istanbul's first fortress, or so the sign says. The fortress was enlarged in 1453 by Sultan Mehmet the Conquerer to manage traffic control on the Bosphorus. A larger fortress (Rumeli Hisari) was also built at this time on the other side of the Bosphorus and the two could be connected via a heavy linked chain. The fortress is located on the Bosphorus at the point where the Goksu stream feeds into it.


Today, Anadolu Hisari is an open air museum, with the remnants of the towers and walls on either side of our main street downtown.

The fortress is primarily comprised of stone, but there is also some brickwork designed into the towers.

Goksu stream is a major parking lot for boats on either side.

Downtown Anadolu Hisari is about a block long and has at least three bakeries in this space - a little carbohydrate heaven.

Just past the fortress is our ferry landing and often the port of embarkation for my excursions to the Europe side. Rumeli Hisari, on the other side will be featured in another post.