|
Kiz Kulesi (Maiden's Tower) is considered to be a symbol of Istanbul, this tiny tower was established on a small island at the entrance of the Bosphorus.
In the past, it was used as a watchtower and a lighthouse, until its present purpose of a tourist attraction. Western sources describe this as Leander’s Tower, who was drowned while swimming, to reach his lover Hera. Another story suggests that it was a tower where an emperor’s daughter put her in there for security, having dreamt that she would be bitten by a snake.
The Maiden's Tower is a tower located on a stone pile, at an arrow shooting distance from the Asian coast, at the intersection point of Asia and Europe. It is one of the unique structures throughout the world, between two continents.
This tower, which dates back to 2500 years ago, had a history identical to İstanbul's history, being an eyewitness to whatever the city has encountered. Its history started in the antiquity, and it existed throughout the Greek times to Byzantine Empire, and from Ottoman Empire until the present.
This island, which first hosted a burial chamber during the Greek Era, was used as a customs area with the additional building constructed during the Byzantium Era. It had assumed several functions from a show platform to a defence castle, from an exile area to a quarantine island. Its main duty was being a lighthouse, and through the centuries it has guided people during daytime, and the boats passing by during nighttime, with its ever-winking light. Kizkulesi guides from the past to the future, and above all, to dreams.
This tower, remembered with stories throughout centuries, opened its doors to public 2500 years later, after the restoration carried out by Hamoğlu Holding. Several poems have been written, several works of art have been painted, and thousands of photographs taken for this tower which is a symbol of loneliness, love, remoteness, and several other things. Come and take a look at those small windows to meet the enchanting atmosphere of the Maiden's Tower, which is 2500 years old, yet, young at any age, and to listen to its real story...
|
