Yoros Castle, which is located on the Anadolu Kavagi towards the Black Sea exit of the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus and Istanbul, is one of the places where you can visit and enjoy the magnificent Bosphorus view while you are eating your breakfast. Also known as Genoese Castle, Yoros Castle is a Byzantium Castle where you can both see Black Sean and Bosphorus at the same time.
History of Yoros Castle
Unfortunately, there is no definite information about the construction date of the castle. Castle built on an overlooking area towards the Boshoprus and it is around 500 meters long and 60 to 130 meters width. However, some of the historical records refer that the Yoros Castle built by the Palaeologus Dynasty of the Byzantium Empire. The main purpose of constructing this king of the castle is controlling the entrance and exits through the Bosphorus. Also, there is another castle just on the other side of the Bosphorus, Imros Castle located on the Rumeli Kavagi. The name of the castle comes from”sacred place”.
Many people called the Yoros Castle as Genoese Castle but it is well known that the castle is not built by the Genoese. The castle captured by the Genoese in 1352 during the times that Byzantium is not that powerful. Just a year before the conquering of the Constantinople by the Fatih Sultan Mehmed took this place to secure the northern entrance of the Bosphorus in 1452. After the conquest of Constantinople, Yoros Castle repaired by the Ottomans and Yoros Castle Masjid built. Also, there was a little bath built by the castle dizdar (captain), Mehmed Aga.
There is a gate at the top of the Yoros Castle. This gate is located at the between of the two half-round castle tower. You can see the Greek script and letter that refers the Jesus on outwardly of these walls. Today, it is only possible to visit the ruling of this historically important place. But the excavation works started in 2010 and still continues. Actually, when you compared this place with the other magnificent spots of Istanbul it can be seen a bit of insignificant. But think like that, you can visit a historical place, enjoy your breakfast with a stunning view and wonder about the history of this great city.
Where is Yoros Castle?
As I mentioned above Yoros Castle is located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul and Anadolu Kavagi district. Anadolu Kavagi is very close to the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and the Black Sea exit point of Bosphorus. This part of Istanbul is a kind of virgin. Because there are no skyscrapers, no traffic or anything from the very centre of Istanbul. You can find more green, more blue, more oxygen. You may witness the very different face of Istanbul.
How to Go to Yoros Castle?
The best way to go to the castle is to use your own car. But if you are in Istanbul as a tourist there are other ways you can use. The first step to go to the castle is to go to the Anadolu Kavagi. Let’s take a look at your options.
- Anadolu Kavagi Ferry Terminal
- You can use Sariyer-Rumeli Kavagi-Anadolu Kavagi-Uskudar ferry line and Bogaz Line to get to the terminal.
- Bosphorus Tours
- Generally, Bosphorus tours depart from the Eminonu in the morning and go back from the Anadolu Kavagi and turn back around the evening.
- IETT Bus
- You can use the 15A bus line (Anadolu Kavagi – Kavacik) to go to the Anadolu Kavagi. You can take a look at the details of the 15A bus line from this link.
After arriving Anadolu Kavagi by using one of the options above you need to take a taxi to get to the Yoros Castle. Because there are no public transport options directly go to the castle. But if you like to walk and the weather is good you can try to walk there. The route is not that long but uphill walking may challenge you. You can check the walking route from the Anadolu Kavagi ferry terminal to the castle from here. If you have your own car just use your maps to get to the castle directly. There is a free parking option just next to the entrance. By the way, there is no entrance fee for the Yoros Castle.
Yoros Cafe and Restaurant
There are a cafe and restaurant just next to Yoros Castle with a great view through the Bosphorus. Especially for the people who are looking for a quiet and peaceful place to get away from the daily routine of Istanbul comes to this place at weekends. If you are planning to visit here you can think to avoid the weekends not to get caught of the crowd. Yoros Cafe and Restaurant is open between 09.30 to 22.00 every day. Prices are nor expensive neither cheap. Probably you need to spend around 150 Turkish Lira to have good breakfast for two. You can check the Zomato page from here and Google reviews from here.
If you ever visited the Yoros Castle please share your thoughts and experiences on the comment section to help others. Also please share your insights to improve the content and quality of this post. However, if you are looking more place to visit and read in Turkey don’t forget to take look WeCityGuide | Turkey . Happy travelling!
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