Tower sights in Istanbul
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Kiz Kulesi
It's appropriate that the Kız Kulesi, one of this maritime city's most distinctive landmarks, is on the water. Arriving at Üsküdar by ferry, you'll notice the squat tower on a tiny island to the right (south), just off the Asian mainland. In ancient times a predecessor of the current 18th-century structure functioned as a tollbooth and defence point; the Bosphorus could be closed off by means of a chain stretching from here to Seraglio Point.
Some think its ancient pedigree goes back even further, calling it Leander's Tower after the tragic youth who drowned after attempting to swim across a strait to Europe to visit his lover, Hero. The object of his desire, who held…
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Galata Tower
The cylindrical Galata Tower stands sentry over the approach to ‘new’ İstanbul. For centuries the tallest structure in Beyoğlu, it dominates the skyline north of the Golden Horn. Galata was home to traders from Genoa and Venice during both Byzantine and Ottoman times, and functioned almost like a separate colony, with distinct architecture, a preponderance of taverns and a decidedly European flavour. Originally constructed in 1348, this tower was the highest point in the Genoese fortifications of the suburb, and has been rebuilt many times. It has survived a number of earthquakes, as well as the demolition of the rest of the Genoese walls in the mid-19th century. The pave…
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