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

Fatih Fatih () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 15 km2, and its population is 368,227 (2022). It is home to almost all of the provincial authorities (including the mayor's office, police headquarters, metro ...

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

Yedikule Fortress Yedikule Fortress ( 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 of Ottoman Sultan Me ...

, 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 The TFF 2. Lig (), currently referred to as Nesine 2. Lig for sponsorship reasons, 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 continu ...

for a season.

Marmaray Marmaray () is a commuter rail line located in Istanbul, Turkey. The line runs from Halkalı, on the European side, to Gebze, on the Asian side, along the north shore of the Sea of Marmara. Mostly using the right-of-way of two existing com ...

passes through the neighbourhood, however Yedikule railway station 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) 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 and

Silivri Gate Silivri, formerly Selymbria (Greek: Σηλυμβρία), is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 217,163 (2022). It lies along the Sea of Marmara, outside the urban core of Istanbul, containing many holiday ...

); 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 (), abbreviated as O-1 and locally referred to as The First Beltway (), is a controlled access highway in Istanbul, Turkey. The O-1 serves as the inner beltway and is one of three intercontinental motorways in the city, the others being t ...

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 politician and businessman who has served as the 32nd Mayor of Istanbul since 2019. He is currently suspended from office temporarily. He is the Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for the ...

, 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; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...

, passes offshore from Yedikule in the

Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

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 () 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