Yoros Castle – Historical Castle in Beykoz, Istanbul

Yoros Castle, a Byzantine structure, is located on a high hill overlooking the Bosphorus. Due to its location, the castle offers a very beautiful Bosphorus view. You can watch the ships entering and leaving the Bosphorus from the castle, which overlooks the point where the Black Sea meets the Bosphorus, and you can also enjoy watching the sun set over Istanbul in the evening hours.

The Story of Yoros Castle

The castle was built by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) to control the entrance to the Bosphorus. However, when the empire weakened, it passed into the hands of the Genoese and remained in their hands for a long time. Therefore, the belief that the castle was a Genoese castle was born. The Genoese controlled the Black Sea trade route from here for a long time.

Yoros Castle was captured by the Ottomans, who completely dominated the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus, at the end of the 14th century. II. It was repaired in the time of Bayezid and a masjid and a bath were built. It is thought that the castle got its name from the Greek word “oros” meaning “mountain”.

You can enter the castle through a hole in the side wall. The interior of the castle has a very large area. From here, it is understood that Yoros Castle was a very large castle at the time it was built. You can watch the north and south sides of the Bosphorus from inside the castle with your surroundings completely open.