Who built the Maiden's Tower, the symbol of Istanbul, one of the most beautiful cities in the world?

The history of the Maiden's Tower dates back to the times before Christ. When we look at historical evidence, we see that the tower was first mentioned in 410 BC. The tower, built by Alcibiades of Athens, was used to control ships passing through the Bosphorus and collect taxes. After Istanbul came under Roman rule, Byzantine Emperor Manuel Komnenos (Manuil I) strengthened the building with stones, designed it as a complete tower, and turned it into a defense building. The tower, which was restored once again during the Ottoman period, was the scene of the Mehter Band's shows. This tower, which was ruined and restored many times throughout its history, currently serves as a cafe, museum, and restaurant off the coast of Salacak in Üsküdar.

The Maiden's Tower (Turkish: Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (Tower of Leandros) since the Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, 200 m (220 yd) from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey.

In 341 BC, the Greek Chares (or Kharis) had a marble sarcophagus built for his wife in the area where the tower was located. Damalis, one of the old names of the Maiden's Tower, comes from here. Damalis was the name of Chares' wife.

In the 12th century, Byzantine Emperor Manuel Komnenos had two towers built in this region to prevent the enemy from entering. One of them was rising in the Mangana Monastery, that is, on the shore of today's Topkapı Palace, and the other was rising on the coast of Üsküdar. Where the Maiden's Tower currently stands. By stretching a chain between the two towers, Komnenos took control of the ships passing through the Bosphorus.

During the conquest of Istanbul, the Venetians used this tower as a base and helped the Byzantines.

After conquering Istanbul, Fatih Sultan Mehmet turned this tower into a castle and placed cannons around it. Thanks to the strong defense of the Bosphorus, there was little need for this place, and over time it became a show center.

The tower was also used as a quarantine room and exile place.

We can list the old names of the Maiden's Tower as follows: Arkla, Damalis, and Leandros's Tower. We will talk about these names in detail below.

Maiden's Tower Legends: What is the Story of the Maiden's Tower?

When it comes to one of the most mysterious towers of one of the most important cities in history, many legends inevitably come along. This is what happened to the Maiden's Tower. Now we will talk about these legends.

The Bitter End That Comes with the Snake

According to the first legend, she was the daughter of one of the Byzantine kings and a prophecy was made about the girl. The princess was bitten by a snake and died at the age of 18. Hearing this, the king restored the tower on the island in the middle of the sea and turned it into an area where the princess could live. When the princess turned 18, the snake hiding in a basket of grapes brought by the servants or a basket of flowers brought by a young officer who was in love with the princess, reached the island and killed the princess by stinging her.

Battal Gazi Maiden's Tower

Another legend told is this: Battal Gazi fell in love with the daughter of the Tekfur of Üsküdar during the Seljuk period. Tekfur, who did not want this situation, imprisoned his daughter in the Maiden's Tower; But who could keep Battal Gazi? After a rescue adventure, the lovers were reunited.

The Pain of the Greek Leader

In ancient Greek times, when Istanbul was under the control of the Athenians, an admiral named Chares or a king named Charis came here. The wife of this admiral/king, who was sent against the danger of King Philip I of Macedon, passed away in Istanbul. Admiral Chares / Kharis was very upset and had a legendary mausoleum built in the place we know today as the Maiden's Tower.

Leander's Immortal Love

There is another legend from Greek mythology, but this is actually a version of another legend adapted to the tower and incorrectly circulated over the years. It is said that there was one of the temples of Aphrodite where the tower is located today, and a priestess named Hero lived here. A young man named Leandros fell in love with the nun and every day he swam from the opposite shore to the island where the temple was located. Hero lit a fire on the island so that Leandros would not lose his way. One stormy day, the fire went out, and Leandros lost his way while swimming and drowned. When Hero heard that her only love had died, she could not bear it and committed suicide. The origin of this story goes back to the Dardanelles. Leandros was actually swimming from the Abydos (Eceabat) region to Sestus (Çanakkale).

8 Interesting Facts About Maiden's Tower

Despite the information we have, the architect of the tower or who actually built the tower is unclear.

The first name of the tower is Arkla or Arcla, which means "small castle".

After the conquest of Istanbul, the tower was demolished and a wooden model was built in its place. According to records, this wooden tower was also destroyed in a fire in 1719.

The tower was used as a quarantine center during the cholera epidemic in 1830.

A torch-shaped lighthouse was installed on the tower to serve as a lighthouse. In 1920, this lighthouse was replaced with an automatic light system.

Later it was also used as a radio station.

It was put into service by the Ministry of Defense in 1964. In 1982, to Maritime Enterprises. After this date, the tower was rented for 49 years.

Today, the Maiden's Tower serves as a restaurant and wedding house.

Where is Maiden's Tower?

Maiden's Tower is located in Istanbul. The Maiden's Tower, built on a small island off the coast of Salacak in the Üsküdar district, is located on the Bosphorus.

How to Get to the Maiden's Tower?

To go to the Maiden's Tower, you can join the boat trips via Üsküdar and Kabataş. Maiden's Tower flights depart from Üsküdar every 15 minutes between 09.00 and 17.00. It takes place from Galataport at 11.00, 12.30, 14.15, 15.30, 17.00. (2024)