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The Galata Tower (Galata Kulesi) is one of Istanbul’s treasures. Standing nine stories and almost 67 meters high, this structure was the tallest in Constantinople when it was built. It sits in a square in the Beyoğlu district surrounded by stores and restaurants.
History of Galata Tower
Nobody is exactly sure when the first tower was built, but it’s believed to be around 528 AD for use as a lighthouse by the Byzantines. It was rebuilt in 1348 by the Genoese, who colonized the area in 1273. They called it the Tower of Christ (Christea Turris).
After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, they began to use the tower as an observation tower for spotting fires. They repaired in 1510 and made some modifications, such as putting gun barrels on the 5th and 6th floors.
1453
On the exterior, a plaque commemorates the presentation of the keys of the Galata colony to Mehmed the Conqueror (Mehmed II) on Tuesday morning, May 29, 1453 – the day the Ottomans conquered Constantinople.
Flight
In the 1600s, Ottoman aviator Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi used artificial wings to fly from the tower across the Bosporus to Üsküdar on the Asian side 6km away. An account by legendary Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi tells the story in great detail:
“First, he practiced by flying over the pulpit of Okmeydanı eight or nine times with eagle wings, using the force of the wind. Then, as Sultan Murad Khan was watching from the Sinan Pasha mansion at Sarayburnu, he flew from the very top of the Galata Tower and landed in the Doğancılar Square in Üsküdar, with the help of the south-west wind. Then Murad Khan granted him a sack of golden coins, and said: “This is a scary man. He is capable of doing anything he wishes. It is not right to keep such people,” and thus sent him to Algeria on exile. He died there.”
Conical Roof
The conical roof of the Galata Tower was destroyed in a terrible storm in 1875. A copula was constructed in its place, but the conical roof was reconstructed in 1967 during restoration of the tower.
Museum
After many years of hosting a restaurant and nightclub, the tower today functions as the Galata Tower Museum (Galata Kulesi Müzesi). It contains a few floors featuring historical artifacts as well as an outdoor observation deck at the top. Admission for foreigners is €30 (as of July 2024) or free for holders of the Museum Pass Istanbul. The tower is open daily and it’s best to go as soon as it opens in the morning. Queues during the rest of the day can be ridiculous.
An elevator takes visitors to the top of the tower. They open to a room with an interactive 3D map of Istanbul. Stairs then lead up to the outdoor observation deck.
After visiting the observation deck (see below), visitors continue back down to the ground level using a series of stairwells. On each level walking down is a room of the museum displaying historic artifacts related to the tower or Galata.
Some of the artifacts that caught my eye included marble panels with royal seals and Latin inscriptions. They date back to the 13th and 14th centuries, when Galata was a Genoese colony. There was also a block of marble from 1912 with an inscription in French and Ottoman from the Bosporus Docks.
On one of the final museum levels is an exhibit chronicling the period the Galata Tower was used as an observatory. There’s also an interactive exhibit allowing visitors to experience the flight of Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi.
Observation Deck
Now, onto the best part – the views! From the observation deck, you can see the old city across the Golden Horn, including Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and other important landmarks. Looking towards the north, you can see Taksim and the Bosporus.
At Sunset
If the crowds aren’t too bad, I recommend going up to the observation deck about a half hour before sunset. You get to see the city in the sunlight and then you can witness the changing colors and eventually the silhouettes as the sun sets to the west.
During the Call to Prayer
It’s also quite an experience to be at the top of the tower during the ezan (call to prayer). You can hear every mosque within earshot while watching the action down below. The first video is from my very first visit to the tower on November 2, 2010, and the second is from September 17, 2013.
Galata Konak Café
An alternative to the Galata Tower is to visit Galata Konak Café just a short walk downhill. You can ride the elevator up to the top and get pretty much the same views towards the old city, all while enjoying a glass of tea or a delicious meal. I always liked to go there for breakfast.
For a virtual tour of Galata Tower, click here.
