GALATA TOWER, ONE OF ISTANBUL'S ICONS

Galata Tower (Galata Tower), which is considered among the oldest towers in the world and one of the symbols of Istanbul, has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List. Galata Tower, one of the most important structures forming the silhouette of Istanbul, was used as a long-term fire watchtower and was named Galata Fire Tower.

Galata Tower was first built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 507-508 AD. Ancient Galata Tower "Megalos Pyrgos", meaning "Great Tower", was located in Galata Castle, on the north side of the Golden Horn in Istanbul. The tower then marked the northern end of the great chain that was widened across the mouth of the Golden Horn to prevent enemy ships from entering the harbour. The tower contained a mechanism for raising and lowering the chain. This tower should not be confused with today's Galata Tower, which is located at the northernmost and highest point of the Galata Castle and is still standing.

The Genoese rebuilt the current tower in 1348-49. When the Genoese captured Galata in the 1300s, they saw that most of the walls and the first tower were destroyed by the Byzantines. Eventually they repaired all the walls and bastions. They also rebuilt the Galata Tower on the top of the walls and laid the foundations of today's tower. The tower, known as "Christea Turris" (The Tower of Christ) because of the cross on its cone, has become the symbol of this small Latin society over time.

Galata Tower after the conquest of Istanbul, on the morning of 29 May 1453, the Ottomans giving the key to Fatih Sultan Mehmet. The delivery of Mehmed and Galata was completed on Friday, June 1." The tower was raised between 1445 and 46. It was damaged in the earthquake that occurred in the 1500s and was repaired by Architect Murad bin Hayreddin. After the tower was repaired during the reign of Selim III, there was a bay window on the upper floor of the tower. In 1831, the tower saw another fire, Mahmut II rises two times higher than the tower and the top of the tower is covered with the famous cone-shaped roof cover.The building was last repaired in 1967.

Architecture of Galata Tower

Galata Tower was built with a masonry rubble stone system. The outside is stone mesh. The 16-line verse inscription above the entrance door states that the tower was destroyed in a fire and Sultan II. It is said that it was repaired by Mahmud. It is thought that the ode written by the poet Pertev in his own name, since it was built during the reign of Mahmut II, was written with the following words: "...This tower was a great text, he did it very well, Mahmud Han" 1248 (1832-33). Between two crescent and star motifs, Sultan II. The monogram of Mahmud is engraved.

The round arched window above the door was a watchtower for the soldiers. It is a nine-storey building after the high ground floor. The windows on the cylindrical body are round arched with brickwork. The development of the last two floors just below the conical roof is emphasized by the profiled moldings surrounding the cylindrical body. Under the cone roof, there is a metal inlaid mesh viewing balcony surrounding the floor. On the lower floor, there are round arches resting on deep niches and round arched windows with brickwork.