“Anatolian Poplar”
Old name: Hieron (Greek)
Tiny Anadolu Kavağı on the Asian side of the Bosphorus serves as the last stopping point on the long Bosphorus cruises out of Eminönü. The entire seafront is lined with fish restaurants catering mainly for those on tight budgets and with not a lot of time to linger over a meal although there are one or two pricier offerings on the north side.
For those with energy it’s well worth climbing the hill at the back of the village. From the summit it’s possible to look out at the point where the Bosphorus empties into the Black Sea and down on the Yavuz Sultan Selim/Third Bosphorus Bridge.
Up here, too, are the ruins of Yoros Kalesi, presumed to be in origin a Byzantine fortress but restored in the 14th century when the headland was a Genoese stronghold from 1414 to 1454. The castle was refortified in the mid 17th century as a defence against Cossack raids. The last additions were made to it in 1783 during the reign of Sultan Abdülhamid I.
In its prime this was the biggest castle on the Bosphorus, much bigger, for example, than Rumeli Hisarı. Despite a long period of closure in the 2010s for supposed restoration, the castle is still ruinous, without even paths to guide visitors round the interior.
The castle’s name almost certainly commemorates a lost temple to Zeus Ourios (the god of good winds) that once stood on the site. On winter days the wind certainly whips and howls up here.
This is one of the narrowest points of the Bosphorus strait and Anadolu Kavağı is matched on the European shore by Rumeli Kavağı which was protected by İmroz Kalesi (Castle). In Byzantine times a chain could be stretched between the two castles to close the Bosphorus to shipping in the same way as could be done with the Golden Horn.
If you take the ferry across the Bosphorus to Sarıyer be sure to look back towards Anadolu Kavagı. Inside the naval base on the shore you will glimpse the imposing Marko Paşa Köşkü. Marko Paşa (1814-88) was the Greek physician to Sultan Abdülaziz and the man who founded Kızılay, the Red Crescent.
Eating
Kavak Doğanay has been serving up fish to satisfied customers who’d like a glass of wine with their lunch for decades. I’ve also eaten well at Çaparı.
In high summer lots of small cafes open along the path up to Yoros Kalesi for those who’d prefer more of a snack to a fish lunch.
Transport info
Full Bosphorus cruises from Eminönü leave daily at 10.35am and 1.35pm (http://sehirhatlari.com.tr/en/timetable/full-bosphorus-cruise-362.html). If you take one of these cruises you will arrive at the restaurants simultaneously with whole ferryloads of other diners. There are also ferries to and from Sarıyer on the European shore (http://sehirhatlari.com.tr/en/timetable/sariyer-anadolu-kavagi-366.html) and coastal-hop ferries that come here from Üsküdar several times a day. Catch any of these and you’re likely to have a better choice of where to eat and a shorter waiting time to be served.
You can also get here by bus from Üsküdar. If you want to explore the castle at your leisure you could take the ferry one way and then return by bus. The bus is also a fallback, should you miss the last ferry. Be warned that if the traffic is bad getting all the way back to Üsküdar could take a long time – get out at Anadolu Hisarı and catch the ferry across to Asiyan where you can complete your journey by Metro instead.
The bus can also drop you a short way away at the base of Yuşa Tepe where you can examine the supposed shrine of the Prophet Yuşa (Joshua). It’s famously long like other such shrines in Seyitgazi and Cizre.
Nearby areas
Anadolu Feneri
Poyrazköy
