Yedikule (''Seven Towers'') is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of

Fatih Fatih () is a district of and a municipality (''belediye'') in Istanbul, Turkey, and home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the governor's office, police headquarters, metropolitan municipality and tax office) but not the co ...

, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 15,789 (2022). It is named after the seven-towered

Yedikule Fortress Yedikule Fortress ( tr, Yedikule Hisarı or ''Yedikule Zindanları''; meaning "Fortress of the Seven Towers") is a fortified historic structure located in the Yedikule neighbourhood of Fatih, in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 1458 on the commission ...

, which surrounds the neighborhood. Urbanized in the 16th century, the neighborhood became a hub for industrial and agricultural activities. Yedikule has a local football team that played in the

TFF Second League TFF 2. Lig (Turkish Football Federation Second League), is the third level in the Turkish football league system. It was founded in the 2001–02 season with the name of ''Turkish Second League Category B'' as a continuation of the then second lev ...

for a season.

Marmaray The Marmaray () is a intercontinental commuter rail line in Istanbul, Turkey. A rail tunnel running under the Bosphorus strait was connected to an upgraded version of the old suburban train service (known as the banliyö), allowing trains ...

passes through the neighbourhood, however

Yedikule railway station Yedikule station is an indefinitely closed railway station on the Istanbul suburban. It is located in the Yedikule neighborhood in southwest Fatih. The ''Yedikule Electric Train Depot'' is located right next to the station but was closed down in t ...

is closed and the trains do not serve the neighbourhood.

History

Urbanization of Yedikule started in the 16th century, and it became a major hub for industrial and agricultural activities. Yedikule Walls (also known as

Theodosius Walls Theodosius ( Latinized from the Greek "Θεοδόσιος", Theodosios, "given by god") is a given name. It may take the form Teodósio, Teodosie, Teodosije etc. Theodosia is a feminine version of the name. Emperors of ancient Rome and Byzantium ...

) are also a notable historical artifact. Its tower, Yedikule Fortress, constructed between 408-450 AD, and repaired after 740 Istanbul earthquake.

Ottoman period

Yedikule was known with its gardens, Yedikule Urban Gardens, which was also famous with its cabbages and lettuces and used more than 1500 years. According to the guarantor books of year 1735, there were 344 gardens (including nine gardens which is established between "Surdibi" area, which stretch between

Yedikule Gate Yedikule ( en, Seven Towers) is a neighborhood of Fatih, Istanbul in Turkey. It is named after the seven-towered Yedikule Fortress, which surrounds the neighborhood. Urbanized in the 16th century, the neighborhood became a hub for industrial and ...

and

Silivri Gate Silivri, formerly Selymbria (Greek: Σηλυμβρία), is a city and a district in Istanbul Province along the Sea of Marmara in Turkey, outside the urban core of Istanbul, containing many holiday and weekend homes for residents of the city. Th ...

); according to a map from 1835, there were 102 gardens. Yedikule (with Edirnekapı) also became host for some establishments like slaughterhouses, soap and candle makers, and workshops.

Modern times

Yedikule became highly populated after the population boom in Istanbul between 1940s-1980s; and as a result of that, the Urban Gardens and industrial areas became residential areas and some parts of Urban Gardens used for build

Otoyol 1 Otoyol 1 ( en, Motorway 1), abbreviated as O-1 and locally referred to as Freeway 1 ( tr, 1. Çevreyolu), is a controlled access highway in Istanbul, Turkey. The O-1 serves as the inner freeway and is one of three freeways in the city, the others ...

and create waste-filling areas in the 1970s. The municipality of İstanbul started a rehabilitation project for remaining parts of Urban Gardens.

Ekrem İmamoğlu Ekrem İmamoğlu (; born 4 June 1970) is a Turkish businessman, real estate developer, and politician serving as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul. He was first elected with 4.1 million votes and won with a margin of 13,000 votes against his AKP opponen ...

, as the Mayor of Istanbul, stated that: "I'm ashamed from that the walls (Yedikule Walls) hasn't been toured since years."

Soil and seismology

A major seismically

active fault An active fault is a fault that is likely to become the source of another earthquake sometime in the future. Geologists commonly consider faults to be active if there has been movement observed or evidence of seismic activity during the last 10,0 ...

zone, the

North Anatolian Fault The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) ( tr, Kuzey Anadolu Fay Hattı) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian Plate and the Anatolian Plate. The fault extends westward fro ...

, passes offshore from Yedikule in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara,; grc, Προποντίς, Προποντίδα, Propontís, Propontída also known as the Marmara Sea, is an inland sea located entirely within the borders of Turkey. It connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea via the ...

Demographics

Yedikule was including a notable non-Muslim population and schools until the recent times. There is also Greek and Armenian churches and an Armenian hospital, Yedikule Surp Pıgiç Hospital. As of 2022, its population is 15,789.

In popular culture

Kazım Koyuncu gave a concert in

in 2004. Yedikule also hosted thematic festivals such as Lettuce Feast ( tr, Marul Bayramı) in the past.

Gallery

File:Scarella - Yedikule.png, The

("Fortress of the Seven Towers") and the Golden Gate in Istanbul by Fr. Scarella c. 1685 File:General view of Yedikule (Seven Towers) from the sea side between 1880 and 1893.jpg, Yedikule from the Marmara Sea, late 19th century File:Istanbul - Castell de Yedikule.JPG, The Fortress in 2008

References

{{Fatih Neighbourhoods of Fatih