Republıcan Perıod

Yedikule Fortress was opened to visit as a museum in 1895 and was allocated to the General Directorate of Museums.

The Fortress has witnessed many renovation works until today. Museum Specialist T. Makridi and the British conducted an excavation in the Fortress in 1931. During the excavations, reliefs describing the Labours of Hercules, known to have stood in front of the Small Golden Gate, were searched, but no foundlings were found except for a small piece. Excavation foundlings are preserved in the Istanbul Archeology Museum.

In recent years, the most comprehensive restoration was carried out by the restoration team under the coordination of Architect Cahide Tamer between 1958 and 1970. During the restoration carried out in Yedikule Fortress in 1959, the Golden Gate, Sultan Ahmed III Tower, Treasury Tower, main walls and entrance gate were renewed.

Only the remains of the frames of the plates of the Golden Gate have been reached the present day. In the earthquake of 1864, the marble cladding on the upper part of the south tower next to the Golden Gate was dangerously separated from the main wall and stood for half a century as such. During the restoration process, the missing parts were not completely but partially made to show that they existed before, and then the interior, passages and flooring of the Golden Gate were cleaned.

Unfortunately, while the stones of the great arch were being renewed, the stones with the clamping holes of the inscription letters were not paid attention to, so they were replaced with flat stones. Today, there is no trace of the statues of Theodosius and Nike, the goddess of victory, which are known to be above the Golden Gate. However, during the last repair, some small fragments were found from the outside reliefs. Other fragments were unearthed in writings made in the 1930s.

The Ottoman primary school, girls’ art school, cemetery and Sultan Ahmed III Tower in the courtyard of Yedikule Fortress were destroyed, and the remains of the fountain and the minaret of Fatih Mosque have survived to the present day. The neighborhood, which is said to exist in the fortress, is also thought to have been destroyed as a result of the Istanbul fire, and the idea that the houses in it were burned in this fire is put forward. Considering that the orchards in the courtyard of the fort have not survived, it is seen that the neighborhood culture within the walls has completely disappeared.

Yedikule Fortress, which was affiliated to the Istanbul Fortresses Museum Directorate from 1968 to 2004, started to be used as a place where various concerts and events were held. It was transferred to a private company in 2004 to be used for cultural and tourism purposes, but this transfer process was stopped due to objections made by the court. It is still under the Directorate of Istanbul Fortresses Museum.