Towers to visit Istanbul

It is one of the city's most famous and visible monuments, located on Galata Hill in the heart of Beyoğlu. The enemy of the time was Venice, to such an extent that John VI Cantacuzene accepted the Genoese request to build a tower in 1348. Designed as the main tower of the Galata fortifications and 68 m high, it offers an exceptional panoramic view of the historic city. Beheaded from its top two floors after the conquest of the city in 1453, the tower was used as a prison under Mehmed II the Conqueror. Shaken by the 1509 earthquake, the fortifications and tower were restored by the architect Hayrettin. It is found in the roles of observatory and fire tower. Ravaged by a fire in 1794, it was once again taken in hand and was given a new floor and a new headdress. It is from the top of this tower, it is said, that Hazerfan Ahmet Çelebi set off in the 18th century, equipped with two large wings that he had made, succeeding in landing, not on the other side of the Bosporus as the legend says, but probably on the other side of the Golden Horn. For a time impressed by this feat, the sultan, under religious pressure who did not see it with a very positive eye, exiled Çelebi to the borders of the Empire. Refurbished between 1965 and 1967, the tower has become one of the city's main tourist attractions. At its top is the panoramic restaurant of the Beltur chain. The view is simply exceptional!

It is near the shores of Salacak, about 180 m from the coast and marks the entrance to the Bosphorus. It is one of the symbols of the city, regularly the target of cameras and cameras. A James Bond movie, The World is not enough (with Pierce Brosnan and Sophie Marceau), was shot here. Several legends exist around this tower, they are illustrated inside by frescos. It is said to have been the home of the sweet and virginal Hero, one of the priestesses of Venus. In order to honor her goddess, Hero goes to a ceremony and meets Léandre. Love at first sight! Madly in love, Léandre throws himself, the same evening, in the waters to join his beautiful, with the light of a torch. The meeting between the two lovers happened more than once, but one day the torch went out. Unable to find his way back and exhausted, Léandre disappeared in the sea. Afflicted, Hero lets herself slip into the sea and disappears. In Turkish, this tower is called Kız kulesi (Tower of the girl). From a historical point of view, a first fortress was built on this islet by the Greek general Alcibiades towards the end of the^5th century BC in order to control the sea flow. The Byzantine chronicler Choniates tells us that the islet is again fortified in the 12th century on the initiative of Manuel I Comnenus in order to make it an anchor point for the great chain which blocked the Bosphorus and the entrance to the Golden Horn. It is then called Arcla, "small fortress". The Turks used it during the conquest of Constantinople. It is only in 1509, after an earthquake, that it becomes a lighthouse. At the same time, a water tank was added to it. In 1719, it was destroyed by a fire and then rebuilt under the control of the vizier Ibrahim Paşa, known as the Son-in-law. In the second half of the 19th century, as the fragile empire was often faced with serious threats, it regained its defensive use. Restored in 1944, it was transferred to the military in 1959. The maritime lines took possession of it in 1982. It was then used as a lighthouse, military hospital and radio station. Ten years later, the phase where we want to open it to the public begins between controversies and consultations. Today it is done, however important restoration work has begun in 2021 and in this new project there will be no café-restaurant. The crossing is regularly provided from Üsküdar.

The only Byzantine prison that remains today. Anemas is the name of a Byzantine general of Arab origin. Imprisoned in 1107, after a plot against the Byzantine Emperor Alexis Comnenus (1081-1118), he left his name on one of the towers, the other being called Isaac Angel. Everything suggests that only personalities were kept in the dungeons. It is the emperor's daughter, Anne Comnene, who is said to have helped Anemas escape. The site has been renovated.