Heptapyrgion of Thessaloniki

The Heptapyrgion, also known as Yedikule, is a Byzantine and Ottoman-era fortress situated on the northeastern corner of the Acropolis of Thessaloniki in the Ana Poli region. Towering over the city for more than 1500 years, the fortress that once served as a redoubt for Thessaloniki is now a major historical site to explore. The name suggests it is a fortress with seven towers, but Heptapyrgion has ten. Be prepared to walk quite a bit uphill to be compensated with a beautiful panorama of the city from the top.

The five northern towers date back to Late Antiquity, the era when the city’s iconic Theodosian Walls of Byzantium were also built. The southern towers were likely built in the 12th century. However, one of the only written accounts of Heptapyrgion’s construction is found right on the colossal gate of the structure. The inscription refers to rebuilding the fortress by city governor Cavus Bey in the Ramadan month of 1431 A.D. after the Ottoman conquest. Somewhere around the 1890s, Heptapyrgion was converted to a prison that was used extensively to hold inmates even during the Axis Occupation, Metaxas Regime, and Regime of the Colonels. Stories of Yedikule prison’s notoriety can be found in Greek rebetika songs. It is currently administered by the current government’s Ministry of Culture.