Anadoluhisarı

This medieval fortress on the Asian bank of the Bosphorus was built by Sultan Bayezid I around 1394, making it the oldest surviving Ottoman structure in the city. Compact compared with its later counterpart across the water, it consists of a central tower and curtain walls at the mouth of a small stream, guarding the narrowest point of the strait. It played a role in the blockade preceding the conquest of Constantinople when Mehmed II built the larger fortress opposite. The surrounding village of wooden mansions is tranquil.