Look inside wondrous and mysterious Ram Fortress: Iron Gates' hidden gem guards its legends (PHOTO)

Foto: Telegraf.rs

As a ferry takes people from Ram to Stara Palanka, the passengers gain the view of the mysterious and grandiose Ram Fortress. It is located at the very entrance to the Djerdap Gorge (Iron Gates) in eastern Serbia - a land swept by the Kosava wind where the Danube is at its widest.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

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The fortress has just been renovated and our photojournalist has peeked inside the walls of this hidden and little-known medieval edifice.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

The Ram Fortress stands on a rock and was one of the first artillery fortifications in this area. It was was built with gun ports, and the idea of ​​the Ottomans was to defend the border between Smederevo and Golubac from Hungarian attacks.

Foto: Telegraf.rs

According to some sources, the fortress with gun ports was erected at the end of the 15th century on the order of Sultan Bayezid II. Otherwise, the oldest record of Ram dates from the 12th century, while the first more detailed descriptions were given by a Turkish traveler from the 17th century, Evliya Celebi.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

The base of the fortress has the shape of an irregular pentagon, with five towers erected at its corners.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

There was a settlement around the fortress, and even today there are remains of a travel inn and a caravan stop. There was also a mosque inside the fortification itself.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

The history of the Ram Fortress is also described in folk legends and these date back to a period older than the Ottoman conquests.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

The most famous of these legend says that Remus, the younger brother of Romulus, left Rome with his wife after an argument with his brother, looking for a new home along the Danube. And he found it on this beautiful hill, dazzled by its splendor.

Photo: Telegraf.rs

Read more about the Ram Fortress in this separate report.

(M. B.)