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Forest, Fortress and the City's Highest Hill at Aydos
Cultural

Forest, Fortress and the City's Highest Hill at Aydos

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Inland from the Kartal shore the land rises sharply, first to Yakacık and then to Aydos. At 537 metres its summit is considered the highest point in Istanbul, and therefore of the Asian side too.

Kartal, İstanbul
Cultural
Radar Editör
September 24, 2026

About Trip

Inland from the Kartal shore the land rises sharply, first to Yakacık and then to Aydos. At 537 metres its summit is considered the highest point in Istanbul, and therefore of the Asian side too. The hill rises where the districts of Kartal, Pendik, Sultanbeyli and Sancaktepe meet; the summit itself is in the north of Kartal. The Aydos Forest around it is one of the surviving pieces of the southern forests that once covered the Asian side, and together with Kayışdağı Forest to the west it forms a green line. Aydos is named alongside Belgrad and Kayışdağı among Istanbul's main forests. This trip combines three things: a walk in the forest, the ruins of Aydos Castle on the Sultanbeyli slope, and a flower that grows on this hill and nowhere else in the world.

Getting there

There is no single gate to Aydos; the side you come from shapes your day. On the Sancaktepe side, Veysel Karani station on the M5 metro line is listed among the stops near Aydos Forest, and there is an entrance to the forest in Akpınar in Samandıra. The castle lies within Sultanbeyli on a 325 metre spur of the hill, and the summit is on the Kartal side. Bus routes change often, so check current İETT lines for the entrance you choose, and download an offline map if you do not know the forest tracks.

The name and the water

The name comes from the castle on the Sultanbeyli slope. In the late Byzantine period it was called Aetos, Greek for eagle, and the name has survived with only a small change. Some historians think the hill described in older sources as Oxeia, about ten kilometres beyond Chalcedon, today's Kadıköy, is also Aydos.

Aydos is also a watershed. Rain falling on its southern slopes runs via Büyükdere to the Sea of Marmara, while rain on the northern and eastern slopes flows down the Çayağzı stream to the Black Sea. Seen from the south the hill looks conical, and its steep flanks are cut by flood gullies; the largest is called Arslan Yatakları, "lions' beds", after nearby rocks that resemble lions. Lower down it becomes Erikli Yata and reaches Büyükdere through Kayalıdere between Yayalar and Şeyhli. The north-facing slopes carry broadleaf woodland, mostly oak, in an area known as Şalgamlı. Springs at the foot of the hill supplied the surrounding villages and Pendik with drinking water until fairly recently; spring water from the Yakacık and Dolayoba fountains was carted down to Pendik and sold. Sources say the year's first snow is seen on Aydos, and that the top is three or four degrees colder than sea level.

Aydos Castle

The castle, also called Keçi Kalesi, stands on a 325 metre spur of Aydos Hill in Sultanbeyli. Its outer walls enclose some 26,000 square metres; there are two circuits of walls, with six towers on the inner and seven on the outer. The first building phase is thought to date to the 11th and 12th centuries. The castle and its surroundings are a first-degree archaeological site.

Its importance came from the main road between Istanbul and Anatolia, which passed nearby. Sultanbeyli Municipality's history notes that the historic Bağdat Caddesi, today Fatih Bulvarı, ran through the area, that Byzantine armies gathered and camped here before campaigns, and that Ottoman armies kept using the route. The municipality also describes the area as the administrative centre of the region from Üsküdar to Gebze in Roman and Byzantine times. According to the district histories of Sultanbeyli and Sancaktepe, the castle fell to the Ottomans in 1328 after a siege by Abdurrahman Gazi, Akça Koca and Konur Alp, sent by Orhan Gazi. Aşıkpaşazade says the Ottomans first took Semendra, today's Samandıra, and then besieged Aydos, and today one of the forest's entrances is in Samandıra, a reminder of that proximity. A story he tells has the castle lord's daughter recognise among the besiegers the hero she had seen in a dream and help them take the castle; she later married Abdurrahman Gazi. Hoca Sadeddin Efendi writes that after İzmit was taken in 1337 the castle was no longer needed and Orhan Gazi had it demolished. Abdurrahman Gazi's grave is in neighbouring Sancaktepe.

Excavations began on 13 September 2010, carried out by Sultanbeyli Municipality under the direction of the Istanbul Archaeology Museums; the first phase ended on 17 February 2011. A second phase started a few years later and ended in December 2022, when the site opened to visitors. Sultanbeyli Municipality has also opened a presentation and exhibition hall telling the castle's story, and the excavations were the subject of a documentary, İstanbul'a Açılan Kapı, Aydos, with historian Halil İnalcık as adviser. Among the ruins, keep to the marked paths and do not climb the walls; check visiting conditions and hours on the municipality's website before you go.

The Istanbul crocus

Aydos's smallest resident is also its most special. Crocus olivieri subsp. istanbulensis, the Istanbul crocus, grows according to Istanbul University only on Aydos Hill in Sultanbeyli. Its yellow flowers open between February and April, most of all in March. The plant was found in 1981 by the Turkish botanist Turhan Baytop and described in 1982 by the botanist Mathew. According to the university it grows in dry scrub and forest clearings at 150 to 170 metres, on the lower slopes rather than the summit. Because it is confined to a very small area, Istanbul University's Faculty of Pharmacy and Sultanbeyli Municipality ran a project to grow it from seed and return it to the wild.

Sultanbeyli Municipality put the flower in its logo in 2009 and began a poetry festival named after it. If you walk here in spring, look for it but do not pick it, dig up the bulb or step off the path. Kneeling down for a photograph is enough.

Walking in the forest

On the north-western edge of Aydos Forest, on the Sancaktepe side, there is a pond marked on maps as Aydos Göleti. It is a good starting point for a short walk into the forest. If you have time in Samandıra, Sancaktepe Municipality notes that the remains of the Damatris summer palace, built under the Byzantine emperors Tiberius Constantine and Maurice between 578 and 602, are in the same district, now an archaeological site. Sultanbeyli Municipality also says it has laid out a recreation area called Aydos Korusu on its side.

To see both castle and forest in one day, spend the morning at the castle and then move into the forest. The summit is about two kilometres from the castle as the crow flies, and the pond about two and a half kilometres to the north-west, but forest tracks wind and climb, so allow more time than the map suggests. If you see closed areas or warning signs near the summit, stay out.

A suggested walk

Start the morning at the castle in Sultanbeyli, then visit the municipality's exhibition hall to complete the story. In the afternoon move to the Samandıra side: from around Veysel Karani station on the M5, head for the Akpınar entrance and Aydos Göleti. Walk round the pond and spend an hour or so on the forest tracks. If you want the summit, plan it as a separate, longer and steeper walk; draw the route in your map app beforehand and go with a friend.

Season and timing

Late February to early April is the time for the Istanbul crocus. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons for walking, and in summer choose shaded forest tracks and avoid the midday heat. The first snow often falls on Aydos; on snowy days tracks become slippery, so choose footwear accordingly. Do not stay in the forest close to sunset, as it gets dark quickly on the paths.

Practical notes

  • Do not light fires or smoke in the forest; use only designated picnic areas for barbecues.
  • Bring water, snacks and a windproof layer; the hill is cooler and windier than the coast.
  • Wear closed, non-slip shoes.
  • Take your rubbish home.
  • Check current visiting conditions for the castle and exhibition hall with Sultanbeyli Municipality.

Sources

Location - Forest, Fortress and the City's Highest Hill at Aydos

Trip Info
CityKartal, İstanbul
TypeCultural
DateSeptember 24, 2026
SourceRadar Editör
Radar TürkiyeAuthorRadar TürkiyeVisit SourceGet Directions