Currently Yedikule fortress is in excellent condition and impresses visitors with its mighty walls, high towers, dark and gloomy cellars, which were intended for the enemies of the Ottoman Empire and to hold treasury.

Once, in the times of Constantinople, on the site of the fortress was the edge of the city and the gate to enter the city. Gates called golden and reliably protected the city from invaders. In the 9th century the city was besieged Slavs in the 7th century - the Arabs, but they both left the ransom did not conquer the city. Before the siege was shot, his enemies nailed boards over the city gates.

Despite its grandiose name, the Golden Gate - it's a very modest marble structure, designed as a triumphal arch and has a little secret. The secret is that the flaps arches which glittering gold were manufactured from brass. Near the Golden Gate are small gates which have survived to our times.

Yedikule fortress history begins with the moment through the Golden Gate conquerors managed to break into the city. Sultans decided to build not walls, but very real fortress. In just a few years, the decision was embodied in reality, and built a fortress, which had seven towers and a large courtyard. From superstition Golden Gate bricked.

The city wall was built during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II .  The thickness of the inner walls - 5 m, every 50 m in the wall built defensive tower .  On the outer wall thickness of 2 m was towers 96 .  Virtually the entire inner wall has survived to our time, but the outer wall collapsed almost completely .  Translated from the Turkish "Yedikule" means Semibashennaya .  Four towers built by the Byzantines, and the three towers (internal) - Muslims .  In one of the towers survived dark and gloomy dungeons in which prisoners were sultans .  On the walls are still visible inscriptions made in Greek, Turkish, Arabic .  One of the towers served as a place of execution .  Today, it created the Museum of Torture, it presented various instruments of torture that are much worse than the Inquisition tools .  Another tower was intended to hold the treasury .  This tower was a well having a height of more than 300 meters in diameter and 20 meters .  So this is the tower was brim full of jewels and gold .  Stairs in the wall leads to the fortress, which can pass through several towers and Belgrade to reach the gates or Silivri .

In the 19th century castle Yedikule turned into a warehouse for provisions, for a while there was even a zoo. At the end of the 60s Yedikule fortress becomes a museum. In the courtyard of the museum Yedikule festivals, concerts, fashion shows. An interesting fact is that during the concert is necessary to observe a certain level of noise. The ban introduced to prevent the destruction of the old masonry castle.