the Galata Tower
is located in
Istanbul in
Turkey to the north of the
Golden Horn. One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a huge, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the
Galata side of the Golden Horn. The original tower was destroyed during the
Fourth Crusade, but it was rebuilt as the Tower of Christ in
1348 during an expansion of the
Genoese colony in
Constantinople. It was the apex of the fortifications of Genoese Galata.
The tower was rebuilt several times during the Ottoman period and it was used at times by the Mevlevi Order of dervishes for their sema ceremonies. In the 1990s it was restored and opened to the public. There is a modern restaurant and cafe on its upper floors which commands a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus.
In 17th century, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flew as the first aviator using artificial wings from this tower over the Bosphorus to the slopes of Üsküdar on the Anatolian side.
