European Castle

(Local Name: Rumeli Hisari) Above the cypresses of an old cemetery rise the picturesque wall and towers of Rumeli Hisari (European Castle), built by Mehmet II in 1452 (well worth a visit; open-air theater in summer). It commands the narrowest part of the Bosporus (660m/720yds), where the current is at its strongest (Seytan Akintisi (Satan's Stream); fine view. Here Darius built a bridge of boats over the Bosporus in 514 B.C. Ahead the Second Bosporus Bridge spans the river.