The legendary Maiden’s Tower of İstanbul reopened as a monument and a museum on the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye after meticulous restoration works and several improvements.
Kız Kulesi, or Maiden’s Tower, an iconic structure off the coast of İstanbul’s Asian side, has opened its doors again with the completion of the restoration process started by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2021. The tower, which is situated on the Bosporus Strait, will now function as a monument museum.
The Maiden’s Tower was initially constructed in the fifth century BC on an islet about 20 metres from the present-day coast of Üsküdar as a customs checkpoint to manage ships travelling through the Bosporus and collect taxation. On this tiny islet, the Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel Komnenos ordered the construction of a defence structure in the 12th century. An iron chain that extended from the tower to another tower on the Historical Peninsula took control of the Bosporus’ entry and departure.
After the conquest of İstanbul in 1453 by Sultan Mehmed II, a wooden tower was built here and served as a watchtower, a lighthouse and a quarantine site in the upcoming centuries. In the Republic era after being used by the city’s port authority for a long time, the tower was handed over to the Turkish Ministry of Defense in 1964 and then to Maritime Enterprises of Türkiye in 1983. Serving as a radar station and storehouse during this period, it later functioned for a while as a restaurant, accessible only via boats from Üsküdar’s shore.
Situated in the middle of the Bosporus as a beautiful girl displaying İstanbul’s beauty, the Maiden’s Tower has also a few legends adding to its fame. The first tells the story of a king and his princess daughter. After a soothsayer had predicted that the princess would die from a snake bite, the king built the Maiden’s Tower on the rocks off Salacak to protect his daughter. However, the princess couldn’t avoid her fate eventually and was bitten by a snake that entered the castle in a basket of fruits. Another legend says that Leandros fell in love with Hero, a nun of Aphrodite living in a tower. Leandros swam every night to see Hero following the light of the tower. However, the tower’s light was put out by a storm one night. Leandros lost his way and drowned in the Bosporus. Overwhelmed by grief and loss, Hero also committed suicide.
As one of the iconic landmarks on İstanbul’s skyline, the Maiden’s Tower requires constant maintenance due to its location in the middle of the sea and weather conditions. In this context, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry initiated a restoration project titled “The Maiden’s Tower Opens Its Eyes Again” in 2021. The project was carried out under the supervision of the Ministry and under the consultancy of expert academicians and architects, including Professor Zeynep Ahunbay and Han Tümertekin. As part of the latest restoration, all concrete additions have been removed from the tower’s main structure which did not exist in its historical documents. Additionally, the tower and the island it stands on have been supported with stakes and seismic isolators. The roof over the courtyard of the Tower has been removed and replaced with a wooden one prepared in line with the original form. The courtyard and the outside floors have also been restored to the original material determined in the historical records.
Locals and visitors of İstanbul have always watched this elegant structure from the city’s multiple locations. Now that it has been reopened as a museum, visitors will be able to watch the beautiful İstanbul from the Maiden’s Tower’s point of view.
Legends about Maiden’s Tower
The iconic symbol of Istanbul, the Maiden’s Tower, has been the subject of many legends through its rich history. Let’s take a look at these:
- The first of the legends about the tower tells the story of a king and his princess daughter. According to this story, the king, who was warned by a fortune teller that his daughter would die due to a snake bite, had the Maiden’s Tower built off Salacak to protect his daughter and placed the princess there. However, the princess, who could not escape her fate, died after being poisoned by a snake hidden in the fruit basket sent to the tower.
- Another legend is based on the love of Hero and Leandros. Leandros swims every night to see Hero, a priestess at the Shrine of Aphrodite in Sestos, on the west side of the Dardanelles. However, one day, when a storm broke out, the light of the light in the tower went out, and Leandros lost his way and drowned. Unable to cope with pain and loss, Hero also commits suicide by throwing himself into the water. Actually, this legend, which took place in Çanakkale, was adapted for the Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul by European travellers in the 18th For this reason, the Maiden’s Tower is also known as the Tour de Leandre or Leandre Tower.
- Another famous legend about the tower is about the Turkish warrior Battal Gazi. Byzantine Tekfur (independent or semi-independent minor Christian rulers or local Byzantine governors in Asia Minor and Thrace), who sees Battal Gazi stationed across the city, hides the treasures of Battal Gazi and his daughter in the Maiden’s Tower. But Battal Gazi both captures the tower and saves his daughter and treasures. It is said that Battal Gazi continued on his way by crossing Üsküdar on his horse. In fact, it is rumoured that this event is the source of the famous Turkish expression “The one who took the horse passed Üsküdar”.
- Another legend is about the love of Galata Tower and Maiden’s Tower for each other and their inability to meet because of the Bosporus between them. According to the rumour, Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi tried to fly from Galata Tower to Üsküdar with eagle wings one day. Seeing this situation as an opportunity, Galata Tower begs Hezarfen to deliver the letters he has written to the Maiden’s Tower for centuries. Although Ahmed Çelebi takes the notes and jumps from the Galata Tower, the strong wind scatters the letters all over the Bosphorus. Still, Maiden’s Tower realises how much Galata Tower is in love with her then. Although these two lovers can’t meet, they continue to live their passion by looking at each other for centuries. At the opening, which took place after the restoration of the Maiden’s Tower was completed, this legend was referred to with a special light show. In the show, Galata Tower and Maiden’s Tower could speak illuminated Morse code and say “I love you” to each other.
- Located in the middle of the Bosphorus as a beautiful girl displaying the beauty of Istanbul, Maiden’s Tower has also appeared in many TV series and movies. In addition to numerous Turkish TV series, Maiden’s Tower has appeared in various scenes of important global productions. These productions include the famous James Bond films “The World Is Not Enough” and “From Russia with Love”, and the 2007 action movie “Hitman”. ///nCa, 13 May 2023 (in cooperation with Embassy of Türkiye to Turkmenistan)