Galata Tower

The Galata Tower rises above the Karakoy district, on the hill of the shore opposite the old city across the Golden Horn. The Genoese, who held a trading colony here, built it in 1348 and called it the Tower of Christ: it closed the line of the Galata walls, of which almost nothing remains today.

The structure

The tower is about sixty-seven metres high with nine levels inside. The conical roof by which it is recognised from a distance came with later rebuilding: the tower burned several times, and after the fire of 1831 it was thoroughly rebuilt and given a new top.

The fire watch

Under the Ottomans a fire watch was kept in the tower, since both shores were visible from it, and a fire in the city was signalled by drum. The tower is also tied to the story of Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi, who according to Evliya Celebi glided from it across the Bosphorus on homemade wings.

Today

After restoration the tower opened as a museum: displays and multimedia on the lower levels, and a viewing gallery at the top over the Bosphorus, the historic peninsula and the Golden Horn. In good weather the queue for the lift stretches across the square, and the last levels are climbed on foot anyway.

From a distance, from Eminonu and the Galata Bridge, the tower stands squarely in the middle of a dense mass of roofs and serves as the main landmark of that shore.

Address

Bereketzade, Karakoy, Istanbul · metro Sishane

Opening hours

Daily 8:30–23:00, last entry 22:00

Prices

30 EUR for foreign visitors, 650 TL for Turkish citizens

On the map