Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

Within Rumeli Hisarı’s walls are park-like grounds, an open-air theatre and the minaret of a ruined mosque. Steep stairs (with no barriers, so beware!) lead up to the ramparts and towers; the views of the Bosphorus are magnificent. Just next to the fortress is a clutch of cafes and restaurants, the most popular of which are Sade Kahve and Lokma. Between Rumeli Hisarı and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge is an eccentric looking turreted building known locally as the Perili Köşk (Haunted Mansion). Properly referred to as the Yusuf Ziya Pasha mansion, the building’s construction kicked off around 1910 but was halted in 1914 when the Ottoman Empire was drawn into WWI and all of its construction workers were forced to quit their jobs and enlist in the army. Work on the 10-storey building came to a standstill and it remained empty, leading to its ‘haunted mansion’ tag. Eighty years later, work finally resumed and the finished building became the home of Borusan Contemporary ( MAP ; % 0212-393 5200; www.borusancontemporary.com; Perili Köşk, Baltalimanı Hisar Caddesi 5, Rumeli Hisarı; adult/student/child under 12yr ₺ 10/5/free; h 10am-8pm Sat & Sun; g 22 & 25E from Kabataş, 22RE & 40 from Beşiktaş, 40, 40T & 42T from Taksim) , a cultural centre. The ferry doesn’t stop at Rumeli Hisarı; you can either leave the ferry at Kanlıca and catch a taxi across the Fatih Bridge (this will cost around ₺ 25 including the bridge toll) or you can visit on your way back to town from Sarıyer. Though it’s not open as a museum, visitors are free to wander about Anadolu Hisarı’s ruined walls. There are many architecturally and historically important yalıs in and around Anadolu Hisarı. These include the Köprülü Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Yalı ( MAP ; Anadolu Hisarı; g 15, 15KÇ & 15ŞN from Üsküdar, 15F from Kadıköy) , a cantilevered box-like structure built for one of Mustafa II’s grand viziers in 1698. The oldest yalı on the Bosphorus, it is currently undergoing a major renovation. Next door, the Zarif Mustafa Paşa Yalı ( MAP ; Anadolu Hisarı; g 15, 15KÇ & 15ŞN from Üsküdar, 15F from Kadıköy) was built in the early 19th century by the official barista to Sultan Mahmut II. Look for its upstairs salon, which juts out over the water and is supported by unusual curved timber struts.