The Genoese built the Galata Tower in 1348 and called it the Tower of Christ. It was the high point of their walled colony on this side of the Golden Horn, and at sixty-seven metres it was for a while the tallest structure in the city.
Its uses since have been varied: fire watchtower, prison, observatory. The story most often told about it is Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi, who in the seventeenth century is said to have glided from the top across the Bosphorus to Üsküdar on artificial wings.
The viewing gallery gives a full circle — the old city, the Bosphorus mouth, the Golden Horn and Beyoğlu behind. Open daily 08:30 to 22:00; buy online, as the queue at the door is long by mid-morning.
Twelve minutes uphill from The Soul Hotel.
Category:
History