Anadoluhisarı, Medieval fortification in Beykoz, Turkey
Anadoluhisarı is a fortress in Beykoz featuring a 25-meter main tower surrounded by irregular walls and five smaller towers positioned at corners. The entire structure occupies a strategic location along the narrowest stretch of the Bosphorus.
Sultan Bayezid I built the fortress between 1393 and 1394 to prepare for the second siege of Constantinople and establish military control. The structure was designed to regulate ship passage through the strait and project Ottoman power in the region.
The fortress represents the earliest Turkish architectural structure in Istanbul and influenced the development of subsequent Ottoman military buildings.
The site sits near the Göksu Stream and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, making it relatively accessible. Its position at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus allows visitors to observe water traffic and the opposite shoreline clearly.
The fortress works in coordination with its sister structure Rumelihisarı on the opposite side of the Bosphorus to regulate ship movement. This pair of fortifications was among the first systems designed to guard both shores of a major waterway simultaneously.
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