INNER STAMBOL GATE

Inner Stambol Gate is located on the outer walls of the Belgrade fortress. It’s connected with Sahat Gate. It used to be the main entrance to the city from the road that led to Istanbul.

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Stambol Gate was named after Istanbul because it was located in the extension of the Constantinople Road, the most important road in the Middle Ages, which connected Belgrade and Istanbul.

What’s interesting about the Stambol Gate is that it is not the only one in Belgrade with that name. Throughout history, there were three Stambol gates on the territory of Belgrade.

The first of them is the Stambol Gate. It is the first gate you would pass through when you entered the city from the Constantinople Road. It was located between today's National Theater and Republic Square. It was demolished in 1866, during the reign of Prince Mihailo Obrenović. The reason behind its demolition is that, during the rule of the Turks, all Serbs who tried to escape from the city were killed in its vicinity.

The other is the Outer Stambol Gate. It is located on Kalemegdan, in the extension of the Constantinople Road near the fortress

The last one is the Inner Stambol Gate, the gate that is described on this page. It was the last obstacle for the enemies and by passing through the Inner Stambol Gate you enter the city.

The gate was built in the period from 1717 to 1736, according to the project of Nicolas Doxat de Morez, as part of the largest reconstruction of the Belgrade Fortress. The gate is symmetrical and led to the Constantinople Road. There were rooms around the gate, which was normal for large gates that led into the city. Next to the rooms, to the left and right of the gate, there was a bastion, whose role was to protect the gate and the city. The inner walls of the gate are connected to the Sahat Gate, which is located in the vicinity.

The gate is on the list of cultural monuments of the city of Belgrade, and in 2008 it was renovated. Today, in the interior of the gate, there are a souvenir shop, a workshop of old crafts, and a gallery of the Belgrade Fortress.

Another fun fact about Stambol Gate is that it has the first "graffiti" in Belgrade. Namely, it is a carved image of a Turkish saber on the pillar of the gate. It is believed that it has been engraved by a guard guarding the gate. By the shape and looks of the saber, we can confirm the carving’s authenticity.

Pripremio: Andrija Soković