Restoration works continue at Anadolu Hisarı, located on a 7,000 square-meter (1.7 acres) area in the neighborhood of Anadolu Hisarı where Göksu stream pours into the Bosporus in Istanbul. Following the completion of the restoration, being conducted by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) Department of Cultural Assets Conservation, the fortress will be transformed into a cultural center.
Anadolu Hisarı, which is also historically known as Güzelce Hisarı, is a medieval fortress on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Bosporus. The fortress was commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt. Built between 1393 and 1394 as part of the sultan’s preparations for a siege on the then-Byzantine city of Constantinople (today’s Istanbul), the fortress is situated at the narrowest point of the Bosporus.
The construction has a quadratic main tower, which is 25 meters (82 feet), inside irregular pentagon walls featuring five watchtowers at the corners. After Sultan Bayezid I’s plans to conquer Constantinople came to an end with his defeat at the Battle of Ankara, his grandson Sultan Mehmed II, also known as Mehmed the Conqueror, assumed the mission. Reinforcing the fortress and adding further extensions, Mehmed II ordered the construction of a sister structure to Anadolu Hisarı across the Bosporus called Rumeli Hisarı. Working together in 1453 to halt maritime traffic, the fortress helped Ottomans to achieve their aim of making the city their capital.
Oktay Özel, head of the Department of Cultural Assets Conversation, gave information about the restoration works at Anadolu Hisarı. Reminding that the first steps on the conquest of Istanbul were taken here, Özel said: “The fortress had been neglected and unused for a long time. It had not undergone extensive restoration since the 1930s-1940s. With the restoration that we started as of April 2021, we set out with the aim of bringing the fortress to Istanbulites again, by carrying out strengthening works that will improve its structure and completing the conservation works.”
The fortress will be put into service with the title of Hisarlar Museum and host concerts, talks, events and contemporary art exhibitions, according to Özel. “Tourists, visitors visiting the city and Istanbulites will enjoy both Anadolu and Rumeli Hisarı in a historical atmosphere here.”
Özel underlined that the cement interventions in the restoration works, which started in good faith in the 1990s, harmed the fortress. “Our investigations revealed that Anadolu Hisarı was unfortunately at a point where it could suffer extensive damage in a possible Istanbul earthquake. We completed the strengthening projects with an expert scientific committee and fortified the fortress. Anadolu Hisarı will survive the expected Istanbul earthquake and will not cause any danger of loss of life. The fortress, which has not been used for many years, will now meet with Istanbulites and will receive visitors with a museum function,” he added.
The structural restoration of Anadolu Hisarı has been completed to a large extent. In these works, the open-air prayer place, located behind the fortress and frequently used by the public, was also included in this restoration. The walls of the fortress will be fortified as the second part of the whole restoration. Özel added that the restoration of Anadolu Hisarı is expected to be completed by mid-2023.
Emphasizing that in the past, restorations used to take seven to eight years and citizens would have to wait until their end, Özel stated that the fortress is open to visiting during the restoration process. Noting that their restoration teams gave great importance to the concept of "ruin aesthetics," Özel continued: “We always prioritize the concept of 'ruin aesthetics' in all the restoration works we carry out. Especially in the restorations in the past years, clean surfaces made with new stones for historical structures were criticized a lot. We aim to limit the intervention with small ones that will not disturb the spirit and feel of the ruins."
