🏰️ Galata Tower, Guarding the Ebb and Flow of the Golden Horn 🌊🌉
The Galata Tower in Constantinople (now Istanbul) is an ancient Genoese tower that was originally a watchtower of the Galata Walls (which no longer exist) and has now become an important symbol of Istanbul. During the reign of Justinian, a tower was built at the site where the Galata Tower now stands. It was destroyed in 1204 when the Crusaders sacked Constantinople. In 1267, the Genoese established a colony in the Galata district of Constantinople and surrounded it with walls. The present Galata Tower was built in 1348 AD in the Romanesque style, standing at 219.5 feet (66.9 meters) tall, making it the tallest structure in Constantinople. After the conquest in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished. Most of the walls were demolished during the urban expansion in the 19th century. The Galata Tower survived the Ottoman era and was repurposed as a prison. It is said that in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi tied wings to himself and made the first flight from the top of the tower across the continents, landing in Üsküdar on the Asian side. However, the authenticity of this event is questionable. From 1717 onwards, the Ottomans used the tower to monitor fires in the city. In 1794, during the reign of Selim III, the top of the tower was reinforced with lead plates and wood. In 1831, a fire damaged the tower, after which it was restored. In 1875 AD, the top part of the tower was destroyed in a storm and has not been restored since. During the restoration work from 1965 to 1967, the conical top of the tower was rebuilt. In 2020, after the completion of the restoration, the Galata Tower was reopened as a museum, and its observation deck offers a 360-degree view of the magnificent scenery of Istanbul. 📸 Figures 1 to 5: The Galata Tower today 🌙🌄 Figures 6 to 7: The night and morning of the Galata Tower 🌆 Figure 8: The Golden Horn and Seraglio Point from the observation deck of the Galata Tower 📸 Figure 9: Actual shot of the Galata Tower on August 19, 2023 🏰️ Figures 10 to 12: Actual shot of the Galata Tower from the Topkapi Palace on August 19, 2023 🏛️ Figures 13 to 15: Actual shots around the Galata Tower, including the Conquest Monument of 1453 🏰️ Figure 16: The remaining ruins of the Galata Tower walls #MyTravelDiary #TravelAroundTheWorld #History #Architecture #ArchitecturalDesign #HistoricalBuildings #Byzantine #ByzantineEmpire #ByzantineArt #ByzantineArchitecture #ByzantinePeriod #AncientRome #EastRome #EastRomanEmpire #EastRomanRuins #Genoa #OttomanEmpire #OttomanTurkey #Constantinople #Istanbul #HistoricalNotes #Culture #StreetCulture #CulturalSights #Photography #StreetPhotography #Turkey #TurkeyTravel #EuropeanTravel
