ANEMAS Dungeons and Vulture Dome
Istanbul is not only beautiful but also a mysterious and magical city…
The only thing you can do to solve the mysteries of this beautiful city is to follow our blog posts and the tour programs we have prepared for you. We will be telling the mysterious stories one by one and sharing with you where they are hidden.
This story is about the Anemas Dungeons in Balat, the poor Jewish quarter of old Istanbul. And the Vulture Dome, whose location is unknown to anyone.
Anemas Dungeons; It is alleged that it took its name from Mikhael Anemas, a Roman soldier of Arab descent. Part of the Blachernaean palace complex, also known as Tekfur Palace. Although it is the only underground dungeon remaining in Istanbul from the Roman period; With underground tunnels, labyrinth cisterns and extremely narrow torture chambers, it is both exceptional and creepy. The torture pits, called ’40 rooms’, were so narrow and deep that the prisoners could not get out of them until they died.
According to the rumor, Anemas was caught contemplating an assassination attempt against Emperor Alexios in 1107, and he served his crime by being imprisoned in a tower in the dungeon. The dungeon was used as a kind of state prison for those in high positions. It is not known what purpose Istanbul was used for after the conquest.
You can join one of our Balat tours to hear more of this story and discover the mysterious streets of Balat.
Vulture Dome; The legend of the Vulture Dome says that there is a universal clock that measures the time that has flown since the beginning of the world, and that this is hidden in the depths of Istanbul. No one knows where the dome is. There are two different rumors that it is in Rumeli Hisarı and that it has a connection with Hagia Sophia.
“During the foundation excavations of Rumelihisarı, the construction of which was started in 1452, there is a domed building. Sultan Mehmet and Akşemsettin Zaganos Pasha and state historian Oruç Bey enter the building together. They see seven vulture statues in the domed building.
On the Latin plates, thousands of years of history are told in front of each vulture, and on the seventh vulture the definitive date of the apocalypse is written. Mehmet the Conqueror doesn’t say anything to anyone and orders them to bury the mysterious dome again, forbidding mentioning seven vultures.
He states that Oruç Bey, seeing seven vultures, dared to write in 1485 after Fatih’s death, and the original writing is also included in the books of German historians Franz Babinger and Stefanos Yerasimos.
It is possible to see Rumelihisar, where this mysterious dome is said to be hidden today, on a Bosphorus tour by land or sea. Rumelihisarı is open to visitors on certain days. In fact, various concerts are held in the concert area in the summer against the Bosphorus view. You can join one of our Bosphorus tours to feel the remains of this mystical story and learn more.
