Galata Tower

Galata tower Ms. It is claimed that it was built in 507 during the reign of Emperor Justinian. It was called the Tower of Christ by the Genoese and the Great Tower by the Byzantines. The Genoese gave the tower its current shape in 1348.

Galata Tower, built by the Genoese for protection against foreigners, was built as an addition to the Galata walls. It passed to the Ottoman Empire after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1453. It was used as a prison during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. The tower, which has been damaged many times throughout its history, has been used for many different purposes over time. The tower, which was severely damaged in the 1509 earthquake, was repaired by the famous Ottoman architect of the period, Hayrettin. At the end of the 16th century, chief astrologer Takıyeddin Efendi built an observatory on its hill. Galata Tower, which was used in this way for a while, was closed by Murat III and turned into a prison again.

In 1638, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi wore wings on his arms and made his famous flight from the Galata Tower to Üsküdar.17. Galata Tower, which hosted the Janissary Band in the 19th century, was used as a fire tower to cope with the fires in Istanbul in 1717. But he could not save himself from burning in 1794. The tower, which was repaired during the reign of Selim III, suffered a fire again in 1831. This time, Mahmut II increased the tower two more floors and had the famous roof covering, which gave the tower its famous appearance today, built. The roof, which was blown away by a storm in 1875, was repaired again in 1960 and took its final form today. Galata Tower is 66.90 meters long, 16.45 meters in diameter, and its wall thickness is around 3.75 meters. According to calculations, the weight of the tower is around 10,000 tons.

You can visit Galata Tower on our daily Istanbul tours.

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