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Maiden’s Tower (Kız Kulesi), also known as or Leander’s Tower, is an Istanbul landmark of many legends and mysteries. The tower sits on a small island just off the shore of Üsküdar on the Asian side of the Bosporus. It has unique views of Istanbul due to its excellent position.
Maiden’s Tower was under restoration starting in 2021 and reopened to visitors in 2023. Everything in this entry is from my visit in 2012. When I have a chance to see it again, I’ll update this post with new information and photos.
Getting There
To get to the tower, there are small boats leaving from the Salacak pier in Üsküdar. It’s about a ten minute walk south of the Üsküdar ferry terminal. You buy the tickets from the ticket booth and wait in line for the next boat to arrive. There are also boats from the pier in front of Ziraat Bank in Karaköy on the European side. They run about every 90 minutes starting at 9:30am and cost 75₺ (as of September 2024).
The wait can be long if there are many people because the boats have a limited capacity. Visitors are free to take their time and return to shore on any of the boats after they drop off new passengers at the tower.
Admission
Admission to Maiden’s Tower is 32€ for foreigners (as of September 2024) or free for holders of a Museum Pass Türkiye. Even if you have a Museum Pass of any kind, you still have to pay for the boat ride. The tower is open from 9am to 9pm daily. Check the official website for more info.
History
There has been a tower on this small island ever since Byzantine times. The first tower was built in 1110 by Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos and connected to another tower on the European side by a large chain. It was possibly a customs station. The tower was later connected to the Asian side by a large defensive wall which is still visible under the water.
The tower was used as a watchtower by the Ottomans from 1453 until it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1509. It burned down in 1721, repaired ten years later, and used as a lighthouse. It was restored in 1998 and now serves as a tourist attraction. Inside is a popular yet very expensive restaurant with a fixed price menu (Note: local sources tell me the restaurant permanently closed with the restoration).
The Island
Once at the island, you can walk around the tower to get different perspectives and see the lighthouse. For a few different virtual tours of the tower and the views, click here.
Legends
When you enter the tower, there’s a staircase to the top. There are three legends of Maiden’s Tower that are illustrated on the way up. The most popular (and my favorite) is that of the princess. It’s said that the tower was built for a princess by her father, a Byzantine emperor, to protect her after a prophet said she would die by snakebite. After her 18th birthday, to celebrate the prophecy not coming true, the emperor sent a basket of figs from which a snake appeared and fatally bit her.
The next legend is that of Battal Gazi. Battal Gazi, a Muslim warrior, falls in love with the daughter of a Byzantine emperor. To protect his daughter, the emperor imprisons her in the tower. Battal Gazi storms the tower and kidnaps the daughter, riding away quickly on his horse. This legend coined a famous Turkish expression, “Atı alan Üsküdar’ı geçti” (He who takes the horse is already past Üsküdar). Battal Gazi is buried in Seyitgazi.
The third legend is often misattributed to Maiden’s Tower and is actually about Hero and Leander in the Dardanelles. Leander, from the town of Abydos (near modern day Çanakkale), falls in love with Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite. Hero lives in a tower in Sestos, across the Hellespont from Abydos. Every night, Hero builds a fire in the tower to light the way for Leandros who would swim across to be with her. One night, after a storm puts out the fire, Leandros becomes lost and dies. After hearing about his death, Hero is so struck by grief she commits suicide.
Top of the Tower
At the top of the tower, it’s possible to get great views of Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, and many more landmarks on the European side.
If looking north and east, you can see the Bosporus Bridge and Üsküdar. To the south is the container port of Haydarpaşa (Haydarpaşa Limanı).
