LEANDER’S TOWER (Maiden’s Tower)
Leander's Tower (Maiden's Tower)
Built at the entrance to the Bosphorus during the ruling of Ahmed III, Leander Tower is a beautiful and unique site located on a small islet in the city. Also known as Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi), it happens to be one of the romantic symbols of the city of Istanbul. Its construction dates back to 12th century. However, the building which we see today was constructed in 18th century.
It can be seen quite clearly from many famous places of Istanbul including Dolmabahce Palace, Topkapi Palace and Ortakoy district. It is a landmark for all the ships coming to the Bosphorus.
There is a famous Turkish legend associated with this tower according to which a father locked his daughter, a princess, in the tower because of a prophecy. The prophecy was that his daughter was likely to die due to a snake bite. So, in order to save his daughter’s life, the father locked her in this tower which is now known as the Maiden’s Tower. However, as the fate would have it, the tragedy does take place and the princess is bitten by a snake hidden in a fruit basket and she dies.
The place which was a lighthouse, a fort, a prison and a watchtower during the Byzantine Era has another myth attached to it. The incident took place in the city of Abydos. According to this legend, Leander wanted to save the Hero, his lover, and thus tried to swim to reach his lover.
According to yet another story named Manuel Commene, a Byzantine emperor was furious when he learnt about his daughter’s affair. So, he ordered this tower to be built and imprisoned the girl in it. Hence, the name the Leander Tower.
During the 12th century, a small fort was built by the emperor Manuel Comnenus right at the place where the Leander Tower is located now days. This tower is a major tourist attraction and functions as a small museum of Bosphorus, a gift shop, a terrace, a restaurant and a coffee house.
After the city of Istanbul was conquered by the Turks, the tower was in a damaged state. So, the Turks felt the need to get it repaired at the earliest. However, a few years later, this wooden tower, while serving as a light house, got burnt and ruined. During the ruling of Sultan Ahmed III, Nevsehirli Damat Ibrahim Pacha, an assistant of the emperor, built a stone tower in 1719.
As mentioned earlier, Kiz Kulesi (The Leander’s Tower) also served as a prison during the Ottoman era. The tower was, however, left unused for a while. A Turkish Marinary Bank, Denizcilik Bank, took upon the work of restoration of this tower and it then served as Observation Radar Station and lighthouse.
Laenders (Maidens) Tower Blue Mosque Hagia Sophia Istanbul Turkey
Greek Side of Istanbul
Istanbul is a perfect place to be visited and explored by the visitors for its history and architecture. The city has not one but a number of historical city structures including palaces, churches, mosques and towers to boast that evidence numerous foreign influences on the soil of this city throughout the history.
According to sufficient historical evidence, the most ancient and the oldest civilization in Istanbul was Greek. Way back in 685 B.C., the inhabitants of Megara, an ancient Greek town, decided to settle in Chalcedon, which is now in Kadikoy district. The main aim behind their settlement in Chalcedon was to make Bosphorus as a medium for trading between the Black Sea and the Greek polities. However, in 667 B.C., the city of Byzantion was found when Greek King Byzas succeeded in his efforts to colonize the European side of the Bosphorus.
Leander’s Tower and the Serpentine Column happen to the two finest examples of the Greek architecture. Considered to be the oldest surviving Greek monument of Istanbul, the Serpentine Column is nearly 2,500 years old. This ancient monument was built in the honor of the victory of the Greeks over their rivals, namely the Persians, at Plataea.
Originally located at Delphi, the monument was moved in 324 B.C. by Constantine the Great to Istanbul for declaration of the new capital, Constantinople, of the newly found Roman Empire. The three serpents which provided support to the golden bowl were approximately eight meter in height. Although, the golden bowl is now lost or probably stolen during the sacking of the city in the Fourth Crusade.
Moving on to the next example glorifying the brilliant Greek architecture is Leander’s Tower also known as Maiden’s Tower. This tower is located in the Bosphorus. The tower was built by an Athenian general in the 408 B.C. in order to stop the ships belonging to the Persians along the Bosphorus shores.
According to yet another story, this tower was built by a sultan to save his daughter from a snake after it was predicted by an oracle. However, as fate would have it, the sultan gifted his daughter a fruit basket on her 18th birthday which had a snake hiding beneath the fruits. One can reach the tower by taking a small boat from the nearest shore and enjoy the food served in the romantic restaurant in this tower.
After the fall of Rome in 476, the glorious Roman Empire was merely reduced to the Byzantine Empire. For being the hub of orthodox Greek Christianity and being Greek in culture, the capital city of Byzantine Empire, namely Constantinople, had a number of churches including the most famous, Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya. Ayasofya was once a largest Christian church in the world.
Under the Byzantine rule, a number of other churches were built. Some of the important among these include the Church of St. Savior in Chora and Pammakaristos Church, now in the Fatih district.
A number of city structures were damaged in 1453 when the capital of the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed II. Mehmed was mainly concerned with re-structuring the defenses of the city and went on to work towards making Istanbul prosperous. So, he ordered all the Greeks and Armenians, Jews as well as Slavs to return to the city to help re-shape the city by using their special skills.
As per a census report of 1477, inhabitants of nearly 9486 houses were Muslims, while other inhabitants including Greeks occupied 3743 houses, Jews 1647 houses, Christians 267 houses and Gypsies lived in 31 houses. So, this indicated that every third house was inhabited by a Greek signifying an important role of Greeks in the economic, social and political life of Istanbul. Thus, the Greek community’s leader went on to become the ecumenical patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church.
The Greek High School for boys had become a popular educational institute for teaching orthodox clergy and Ottoman bureaucracy. Other famous educational institutes include Yoakimyon High School for girls and Marasli Greek Elementary School that exist even now. So, the list of Greek footprints in Istanbul is quite long and seems unending. Take a trip to Fener to discover the Greek connection.