Cities in Delta

On the territory of the city there was a Roman settlement called Vicus Novus, which is mentioned in an inscription from the time of the Roman Empire (178). In the central area of ​​today’s city, remains from Roman times have also been found, which document a quasi-urban development (water pipes made of fired ceramics, embedded in masonry, etc.).

The first documentary confirmation comes from the year 1263. In the Middle Ages, after the conquest of Dobruja by the Ottoman Empire (beginning of the 15th century), housing construction in this area became more and more important. At one point the settlement takes on an urban character, the Turkish name of the city is Babadag (Vaterberg). For a time the city was the administrative center of Dobruja and the most developed city in Dobruja. From the Middle Ages you can still see the Turkish mosque from the 16th and many other remains in museums or private collections.

In the years 1677-1678 the residence of the Pasha of Silistra moved to Babadag. In this way, the importance of Babadag as the residence of the most important Turkish ruler in the lower Danube province grows more and more. The chronicles mention in this connection the mixing of the Babadag passage in the domestic politics of the two Romanian countries.

In the center of the city is the Gazi Ali Pasa Mosque and the Kalaigi Tap. The Mausoleum of Sari Saltuk Dede is located on Măcin Street. Another tourist attraction is the Museum of Oriental Art, which is housed in the oriental building “Panaghia” from the 19th century. 5 km from Tulcea are the ruins of a Roman fortress from the IV.-V. Century AD.

About 8 km from Babadag, on a rocky hill near Enisala, you can see the ruins of the Heracleea fortress, actually a Genoese fortress (probably called Bambola or Stavrichi) built in the late 13th century and successively by the Genoese was occupied (13th century – first half of the 14th century), probably the seat of an important local prince, Demetrius (Demetrius Princeps tartarorum), then occupied by a garrison of the country, Romanian and later conquered by the Ottomans (called the Yeni Sale), the fortress gradually lost its importance in the course of the 15th century and was then abandoned.