Galata Tower

{{Infobox building

| name = Galata Tower

| native_name = Galata Kulesi

| native_name_lang = tr

| image = Istanbul Galata Tower (54526176121).jpg

| caption = Galata Tower

| location = Istanbul, Turkey

| mapframe-wikidata = yes

| coordinates = {{Coord|41|1|32.36|N|28|58|26.96|E|type:landmark}}

| former_names = Christea Turris (Tower of Christ)

| completion_date = {{start date and age|1348}}

| building_type = {{hlist|Touristic building| museum| exhibition place}}
{{hlist|Formerly: watchtower| observation tower| fire tower}}

| architectural_style = Romanesque

| architectural = {{convert|62.59|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| diameter = Interior: {{convert|8.95|m|ft|abbr=on}}
Exterior: {{convert|16.45|m|ft|abbr=on}}

| top_floor = {{convert|40.04|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}

| floor_count = 11 (including the basement, the ground floor and the mezzanine)

| elevator_count = 2

| structural_system = Masonry

| material = Stone

| grounds_area = {{convert|208|m2|sqft|abbr=on}}

| website = https://galatakulesi.gov.tr/

| owner = Directorate General of Foundations

| management =

| renovation_date = {{hlist|1453| 1510| 1794| 1832| 1875| 1965-1967| 1999-2000| 2020| 2023}}

| mapframe-marker = observation-tower

}}

The Galata Tower ({{langx|tr|Galata Kulesi}}), officially the Galata Tower Museum ({{langx|tr|Galata Kulesi Müzesi}}), is a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata,{{cite web|url=https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/galata-tower|title=Galata Tower and the Walls of Galata|access-date=22 August 2022}} the tower is now an exhibition space and museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.

History

During the Byzantine period the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in what was to become Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.

In 1267 a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls and the Galata Tower was first built at their highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in Romanesque style{{cite web |title=Galata Kulesi hikayesi |date=21 July 2020 |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/aile/yazarlar/eda-yurenk-odabas/galata-kulesi-hikayesi-41568762 |accessdate=2022-03-08 |publisher=Hürriyet |language=tr}}{{cite web |title=MİMARİ'DE TARZ ve ÜSLUP ÖRNEKLEMELERİ |date=30 May 2021 |url=https://irenelcisoy.com.tr/index.php/2021/05/30/mimaride-tarz-ve-uslup-orneklemeleri/ |accessdate=2022-03-08 |publisher=İREN ELÇİSOY ARCHITECTURE |language=tr}} in 1348 during an expansion of the colony. At the time the Galata Tower, at {{cvt|219.5|ft}}, was the tallest building in the city.Katie Hallam (2009). The Traveler's Atlas: Europe. London: Barron's Educational Series.(2009), p. 118-119.

After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished and most of the walls of the citadel were later pulled down in the 19th century, during the northward expansion of the city in the districts of Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş; though small parts of the Genoese walls in Galata have survived.{{cite web|url=https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/galata-tower|title=Galata Tower and the Walls of Galata|website=www.thebyzantinelegacy.com|access-date=8 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thebyzantinelegacy.com/galata-slabs|title=Mural Slabs from Genoese Galata|website=www.thebyzantinelegacy.com|access-date=8 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dha.com.tr/gundem/cenevizlilerden-kalan-son-sur-kalintilari-yok-olmak-uzere-1697443|title=Cenevizlilerden kalan son sur kalıntıları yok olmak üzere|website=dha.com.tr|date=7 August 2019}} The tower was allowed to survive and was turned into a prison. It was from its roof that, in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi supposedly strapped on wings and made the first intercontinental flight, landing in the Doğancılar Meydanı in Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, a story of doubtful authenticity recounted by the Ottoman travel writer, Evliya Çelebi.

From 1717, the Ottomans used the tower to look out for fires (on the Old Istanbul side of the city the Beyazıt Tower served the same function). In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof was reinforced in lead and wood, but the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, after which further restoration work took place.

In 1875, the tower's conical roof was destroyed during a storm.{{Cite web |url=http://www.timeoutistanbul.com/istanbulunritmi/821/galata-kulesi-eski-hali/ |title=Time Out Istanbul: "Galata Kulesi'nin eski fotoğraflarda neden farklı göründüğünü merak ettiniz mi?" |access-date=2014-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211175715/http://www.timeoutistanbul.com/istanbulunritmi/821/galata-kulesi-eski-hali/ |archive-date=2014-02-11 |url-status=dead }}{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140715000939/http://www.galatakulesi.org/index.php/2013/07/galata-kulesi-kisa-tarihce/ Galatakulesi.org: "Galata Kulesi: Kısa Tarihçe"]}} It remained without this roof for the rest of the Ottoman period but, many years later, during restoration work between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed. At the same time the tower's wooden interior was replaced with a concrete structure and it was opened to the public.{{Cite web |last=Raikwar |first=Abhishek |title=Galata Tower Inside: A Visual Tour of Its Magnificent Decor |url=https://galata-tower.com/inside |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=galata-tower.com |language=en |archive-date=25 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725113959/https://galata-tower.com/inside }}{{Cite web |title= İSTANBUL Galata Tower Museum | Turkish Museums|url=https://turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/22341-istanbul-galata-tower-museum/22341/4}}

In 2020, the Tower was restored then reopened as a museum now open for the public and tourists.[https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/istanbuls-iconic-tower-reopens-after-restoration-158890 "Istanbul’s iconic tower reopens after restoration"], Hurriyet Daily News, 7 October 2020. (Retrieved 27 November 2022.)

In 2023, restoration work began on the conical roof, with a focus on extending the lifecycle of the copper finial it once had as well. Other structural reinforcements were achieved on reinforced concrete elements and around the masonry walls, enabling improvements to the building's earthquake resiliency. A 3-meter-high protection tunnel was built around the tower to ensure the safety of visitors and the surrounding area. Galata Tower reopened to the visiting public on May 25, 2024, with a new visitor policy that capped visitor entry at 100 per hour. {{Cite web |title=T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Galata Kulesi {{!}} Restorasyon |url=https://galatakulesi.gov.tr/restorasyon |access-date=2025-05-25 |website=galatakulesi.gov.tr}}

The tower is mainly popular for the 360-degree view of Istanbul visible from its observation deck.

{{wide image|Galata Kulesi 'nden panorama.jpg|1000px|align-cap=center|Panoramic view from the observation deck of the Galata Tower during the late Ottoman period}}

{{wide image|Istanbul panorama (16293921746).jpg|500px|align-cap=center|View of the Golden Horn and the Seraglio Point (Sarayburnu) from Galata Tower}}

Dimensions

The nine-story tower is {{cvt|62.59|m}} tall, excluding the ornament on the top. The observation deck is at {{cvt|51.65|m}}. The tower is {{cvt|61|m}} above sea-level. It has an external diameter of {{cvt|16.45|m}} at the base, an inside diameter of {{cvt|8.95|m}}, and walls that are {{cvt|3.75|m}} thick.

Gallery

File:The Galata Tower in Liber insularum Archipelagi (1420s-1430s).jpg|Galata Tower after Cristoforo Buondelmonti, 1420s or 1430s

File:The Galata Tower in Liber insularum Archipelagi, Düsseldorf copy.png|Galata Tower after Cristoforo Buondelmonti, late 1480s

File:Matrakçı Nasuh - İstanbul (cropped-Galata).jpg|Galata Tower and Pera by Matrakçı Nasuh, 1537

File:French galleys of Captain Polin in front of Pera at Constantinople in August 1544.jpg|Galata Tower and Pera by Jérôme Maurand, 1544

File:Tour de Galatas - Lucas Paul - 1720.jpg|Galata Tower by Paul Lucas, 1720

File:Veduta della Torre di Galata da Settentrione - Comidas Cosimo - 1794.jpg|Galata Tower by Cosimo Comidas, 1794

File:Vue d'une partie de la ville de Constantinople, avec la pointe du Sérail, prise du Faubourg de Péra; Résidence des mi - Melling Antoine Ignace - 1819 (cropped).jpg|Galata Tower by Antoine Ignace Melling, 1819

File:Galata Tower (Francois Lemaitre, 1840).jpg|Galata Tower by {{ill|Augustin François Lemaître|fr}}, 1840

File:View of constantinople by evening light.jpg|Galata Tower by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1846

File:Galata Tower.jpg|Albumen print of the Galata Tower by Pascal Sébah, between 1875 and 1886

File:La torre de Galata (3060247581).jpg|Eastern side

File:Night_Istanbul.jpg|Galata Tower at night

File:Galata Tower, from Karaköy..jpg|Galata Tower, view from Karaköy