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Galata Tower, Istanbul

Home → Istanbul, Turkey → Galata Tower, Istanbul

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The Galata Tower is a medieval stone tower in the Galata quarter of Istanbul, just to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city’s most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul or Constantinople and its environs.

The nine-story tower is 66.90 meters tall (62.59 m without the ornament on top, 51.65 m at the observation deck), and was the city’s tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is 35 meters above sea-level. The tower has an external diameter of 16.45 meters at the base, and 8.95 meters diameter inside, and walls that are 3.75 meters thick.There is a restaurant and café on its upper floors which command a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Also located on the upper floors is a night club which hosts a Turkish show. There are two operating elevators that carry visitors from the lower level to the upper levels.

History

Galata Tower was built as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. The Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul at 219½ feet (66.9 m) when it was built in 1348. It was the apex of the fortifications surrounding the Genoese citadel of Galata. The current tower should not be confused with the old Tower of Galata, an original Byzantine tower named Megalos Pyrgos (English: Great Tower) which controlled the northern end of the massive sea chain that closed the entrance to the Golden Horn. That tower was on a different site and was largely destroyed in 1203, during the Fourth Crusade of 1202–1204.

The upper section of the tower with the conical cap was slightly modified in several restorations during the Ottoman Empire when it was used as an observation tower for spotting fires.

According to the Seyahatname of Ottoman historian and traveller Evliya Çelebi, in circa 1630-1632, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flew as an early intercontinental aviator using artificial wings for gliding from this tower over the Bosphorus to the slopes of Üsküdar on the Anatolian side, nearly six kilometres away. Evliyâ Çelebi also tells of Hezarfen’s brother, Lagari Hasan Çelebi, performing the first flight with a rocket in a conical cage filled with gunpowder in 1633.

Starting from 1717 the Ottomans began to use the tower for spotting fires in the city. In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof of the tower made of lead and wood, and the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, upon which a new restoration work took place.

In 1875, during a storm, the conic roof on the top of the building was destroyed. The tower remained without this conic roof for the rest of the Ottoman period. Many years later, in 1965-1967, during the Turkish Republic, the original conical cap was restored. During this final restoration in the 1960s, the wooden interior of the tower was replaced by a concrete structure and it was commercialized and opened to the public.

From the top of the tower, the first French panorama painter Pierre Prévost drew in 1818 his “Panorama de Constantinople” which was later exposed in Paris in 1825.


Istanbul Travel Guide

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  • Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
  • Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
  • Grand Bazaar, Istanbul
  • Spice Bazaar, Istanbul
  • Galata Tower, Istanbul
  • Hippodrome, Istanbul
  • Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora
  • Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul
  • Golden Horn
  • Istanbul Archaeology Museum
  • Underground Cistern, Istanbul
  • Suleymaniye Mosque Istanbul
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Rating: +8568 (from 8568 votes)
Galata Tower, Istanbul, 100% based on 8568 ratings
81 Reviews
  1. h-Stevens
    5:54 pm on November 14, 2006

    The Galata tower is such a familiar shape from films and, according to my sons, the Assassins Creed game. Its not as tall as other vantage points we've visited in other countries but as its close to being at the top of a very steep hill it affords a great view of Istanbul, especially the ancient European side.

    Reply
  2. Talha K
    7:49 am on January 3, 2007

    The access is quiet crowded but if you want to have a look of the whole of Istanbul from one place, then this is it! The ticket is extremely reasonable. The View is great but to get there you have to walk uphill which can be a task and in rush hours you can't take your time to enjoy..

    Reply
  3. lochGorman
    5:05 am on January 19, 2007

    we stayed close to the tower so one morning we were there as it opened… what a good idea.. i have vertigo so it was an interesting walk around the outside.. the floor slopes away from the tower and is quite polished from people walking on it…. we tend to notice these things…… but the views were super..

    Reply
  4. DrHKR
    12:13 pm on September 17, 2007

    One might say that that the Galata tower is just too out of the way and has an over priced ticket. I beg to differ as it offers a 360 view of the entire old city which is quite spectacular. I've not posted any pictures as it does no justice to what you actually experience.

    Reply
  5. Ea_Ginger
    11:43 pm on October 5, 2007

    Modernized with an elevator and a nice and tasty restaurant, this tower gives You a incredible atmoshere over the seaside of Istanbul. The Service at the restaurant on the top is very nice. The location around is very touristic. Be aware of the prices!

    Reply
  6. Jon_2007
    8:12 pm on October 20, 2007

    On one of the last days of our trip we went up the tower in the afternoon or evening I think it was somewhere between 430-630pm. Anyway, the views were beatiful but the call to prayer also happened when we were up there. It was amazing to watch the city at that time and hear the call to prayer.

    Reply
  7. Australia-HO_TIS
    8:54 am on November 5, 2007

    Nice view, but way overpriced. The other advice about having a rooftop coffee instead at the adjacent hotel is spot on. Great views…

    Reply
  8. Ernest_Eg
    10:47 am on December 6, 2007

    If one is looking for a high rise building to capture the best pictures to sum istanbul up, Galata Tower is definitely the place. Despite the long queue, all was worthwhile once you are up as the tower oversees the "europe" and "asia" side of istanbul.

    Reply
  9. Nivamohan
    7:41 pm on December 23, 2007

    The views were spectacular. We went early so we missed the crowds. Nice little shops beneath the tower. A little bit of a hike up the hill from the tram station but worth the walk

    Reply
  10. Gareth B
    12:42 am on January 25, 2008

    Short walk from Galata Bridge and the best view of Istanbul. It has a lift to the top so not to many steps and the ques were not too long when we went.

    Reply
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