“Turkey 🇹🇷 ~Yoros Castle Ruins in Istanbul”
Our final stop in this fun day was to visit the Yoros Castle ruins. Though there is not much left of this once amazing stronghold by the sea, it captured our hearts. The scenery was stunning, and it was easy to imagine what “once was,” in regards to a beautiful castle that at one time thrived, as it kept watch over the sea.
To reach these castle grounds, we were now at least 45 minutes from the home base in Istanbul city, and in a less traveled area of the Bosphorus; being so high up on the hillside. As a precaution, we asked the taxi driver to standby for about 20 minutes while we explored the castle ruins. This communication was accomplished by the help of someone I spoke with, who did speak a bit of English, who the driver had called up on his phone. Yes, we paid extra for the taxi to stand-by, but it sure beat hitchhiking, back to the city, since the time was getting later, and we were definitely more remote.
Yoros castle was strategically placed near the entrance to the Black Sea. The Yoros Castle is on the top of a the hillside; up from the shores of the Bosphorus, where, in ancient times, was occupied by soldiers of the Turkish army.
Yoros Castle was intermittently occupied throughout the course of the Byzantine Empire. Under the Palaiologos dynasty, during the decline of the empire, Yoros Castle was well fortified. A massive chain was actually stretched across the Bosphorus; between this castle, and Remli castle on the opposite side, to prevent enemy warships from entering the Bosphorus. another chain was used in the same fashion, for the same reason, across the waters of Golden Horn, to defend Constantinople against the attacks of the Ottomans under Sultan Mehmet.
Within the military museum of Rumeli Castle, it is still possible to see a part of this chain that was used during these medieval times. We saw these chains, but did not know what they were used for, until much later. The size and mass of such chains were of enormous size, but no surprise, since they were used to block huge ships from entering.
The castle was the apple of discord between the Byzantines, Genoese, and Ottomans. For several years there was endless dispute. In 1305 it was conquered by Ottoman forces, then recaptured by the Byzantines. Then, Ottoman retained control of the castle from 1391 until 1414, when they lost it to the Genoese, who had built a great trade route on the Black Sea. The Genoese retained control of the castle for the next forty years, and this is the reason why Yoros castle is also known the Genoese Castle.
Finally, Mehmed the Conqueror took control of Constantinople in 1453, and drove the Genoese out. He then fortified the walls, and constructed a customs office, quarantine, and check point; as well as placing a garrison of troops there.
The castle is now in ruins, with suffered neglect. The Council of Ministers had given permission for excavations in 2010, and at that time, an expert excavation team, o redeem by Professor Asnu Bilban Yalçın; a Byzantium art history expert, in collaboration with the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Istanbul University worked the grounds. During excavations, some 80 artifacts were unearthed.
At the exact same point, where the Bosphorus meets the Black Sea, and another narrow stretch of the Bosphorus, this spot is strategically important in the history of ancient Roman and Ottoman times.
Archive Blog Posts of Our Country Visits
About Us
About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More