Yedikule Fortress are a collection of land walls and towers that surround Istanbul from the southwest. Although the structure is named a dungeon, its purpose of construction was to welcome foreign kings and ambassadors who came to the city in a magnificent way. The construction of this magnificent structure was completed between 413 and 439 A.D. during the reign of King Teodosios the Second and took its present form after the conquest of Istanbul. Mehmed the Conqueror ordered three towers to be constructed at different heights in 1470 and had them connected to other towers and city walls. In this way, the number of towers increased to seven and the structure took the appearance of a fortress.
Resembling a five-pointed star when viewed from above, Yedikule Fortress is home to a thousand and one kinds of memories. At different times throughout history, the towers were used for different functions such as a glorious guesthouse, observation tower, art house for girls, zoo and prison. The state treasury and spoils earned by the Ottoman Empire were kept in this fortress for 300 years, and it was used as a prison for prisoners and prisoners of war. The structures, which can be visited as museums today, will host the 3nd Yeditepe Biennale installations.