Rumelihisari Something old,something new

Rumelihisari Something old,something new

'I sat in Rumeli Hisari / I sat and sang a song...' So says the poet Orhan Veli in his poem Song of Istanbul, which he later said was written in a state of 'indescribable grief'. It tells of the profound loneliness of one period in his life, or perhaps, who knows, all of it. It seems as if everyone but the poet has a friend or lover to talk to, tell their troubles and cheer them up. While he, the loneliest man of all, wanders amongst the graves on the hillside above Rumelihisari, talking to the gulls and pouring out his thoughts to them. Rumelihisari does not have such melancholy associations for most of us though. The generation who spent their youth here in the 1980s remember it not as a place of loneliness, but on the contrary, of deep friendships and the taste of freedom. In spring and early summer the green almonds and fresh cherries of Rumelihisari were a delight.
The 17th century Turkish writer Evliya Çelebi wrote that these huge luscious cherries were known as 'Anatolian pomegranates', and that 'just two weighed a beaten riyal.' Our walks on sunny spring mornings usually ended up at Ali Baba's coffee house, which was like a second home to us. There we recited poems, discussed films, argued politics, exchanged books and records, fell in love, laughed a lot, and occasionally, supposedly, studied. Years later when I decided to visit the district again, I felt a vague sense of jealousy. It was no longer 'mine' or 'ours', but belonged to everyone. Ali Baba's coffee house had disappeared, and Rumelihisari was no longer the tranquil backwater that I remembered. Now throughout the summer concerts are held in the great castle whose walls sweep up the hillside overlooking the Bosphorus, and they have transformed the lower part of Rumelihisari into a brightly lit, lively and crowded place. But I found that there was no need to regret the changes.
The castle itself was still the same, and the tea garden which had opened in place of the coffee house melted the ice and won my heart. The grilled freshly caught fish in hunks of bread was just as delicious, and there was also tasty gözleme (thin pastries with various fillings cooked on a griddle) and hotdogs. The district of Rumelihisari which has such an important place in the memories of my youth lies on the European shore of the Bosphorus between Baltalimani and Bebek. It is as exuberant and lively as Bebek by the shore and as peaceful and self-contained as Baltalimani in the back streets. The elegant waterfront houses have been restored, and in the narrow streets behind them wooden houses darkened by time and oldfashioned shops preserve the spirit of old Istanbul. The area is so steep that some of the streets are flights of steps, and if you climb these you discover marvellous views over the Bosphorus.Other streets are lined by high walls and seem to isolate you in their own world, as if you were neither within nor completely outside time. One of the most famous buildings here is the 18th century Yilanli Yali - House of Snakes. An interesting story is connected with this name. About two centuries ago Sultan Mahmud II was passing by in his royal barge when he saw this house, and liked it so much that he decided to buy it. But one of his companions knew the owner and, reluctant to see his friend lose his house, dissuaded the sultan from this plan by claiming that the house was infested with snakes. Ever since it has been known as the House of Snakes. Rumelihisari is the place where the Turks first settled on the European side of Istanbul and is noted for its many historic buildings. Undoubtedly the most celebrated of these is the hisar (fortress) after which the district is named.

When Sultan Mehmed II was preparing for the conquest of Istanbul, he had this castle built so as to control shipping along the Bosphorus. Contemporary sources record that a thousand stonemasons and over two thousand labourers worked on its construction, which was completed in just four months. The plan was drawn by the sultan himself and the architect was Musliheddin. The three towers at the corners were built by the sultn'sd vezirs Halil Pasa, Zaganos Pasa and Saruca Pasa. Of the mosque built by Sultan Mehmed II inside the castle, only the lower part of the minaret remains today. The amphitheatre here was constructed in 1953. Evliya Çelebi relates the following story about the castle: When Sultan Mehmed decided to take Istanbul, using the pretence of his passion for hunting he asked the Byzantine emperor for permission to build a hunting lodge on the site. The emperor agreed on the condition that the hunting lodge be not larger than a cow's hide.The sultan had a hide cut up into very narrow strips, which were then joined together and used to measure out the ground plan of the fortress. Meanwhile, of course, he was busy with preparations for the coming siege. The story is pure legend, of course, being too similar for coincidence to the myth of Dido and the founding of the city of Carthage. As evening fell a light breeze began to blow off the sea, calling me down to the shore. By now I felt quite at home again. The horns of the ferries, cheerful voices, and the chinking of glasses and plates mingled in the dusk. After a ten year absence I had rediscovered Rumelihisarý in a single wonderful day.