Like any self-respecting city, Istanbul is not short of towering city blocks providing incredible views. One of the oldest towers is the Galata Tower which overlooks the Bosphorus straits.

This tower is in the middle of the Galata neighbourhood of Istanbul’s old town. At a height of 66 metres, this tower is as high as the Bosphorus Bridge is. This gives you some idea of how imposing it must have been when the Genoese craftsmen finished building it in 1348.

It was originally called the Tower of Christ and was meant to replace a previous tower that had been used to guard the Golden Horn – the estuary that joins the Bosphorus as it leads into the Sea of Marmara. This older tower was destroyed in the Crusades but it was clear that having a tower to be able to watch over the town, and to watch for incoming sea-faring pirates, was essential.

The tower was improved and improved over the years as its use changed. In the eighteenth century, the Ottomans decided to use it to keep an eye on fires in Istanbul. Ironically, the tower was damaged twice by fire within the next 120 years.

Curiously enough, the tower also attracted the attention of those who wished to take to the skies. In the seventeenth century a young Ottoman by the name of Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi¹ strapped artificial wings made of eagles’ feathers to his back and jumped off the tower. Using a prominent south-westerly wind, he glided across the Bosphorus and landed in Asia. This is the first ever intercontinental flight.

Crossing from one continent to another as easy as this is breath-taking.

Hezarfen was rewarded with a sack of gold coins by the Sultan who was, however, scared of this young innovator. The Sultan declared that Hezarfen must be a scary man who could do anything he wanted to and had him exiled to Algeria for the rest of his days.

Today, the tower is open for visitors who want to marvel at the Istanbul skyline. The viewing from the observation deck is breathtaking. You can walk around the entire perimeter of this cylindrical tower to get a 360-degree view of the city. It is a narrow observation deck and squeezing past the rest of the tourists trying to get their requisite selfies can be annoying. If this bothers you, head inside. There is a cafe so you can continue to enjoy the view without someone’s annoying cheesy grins blocking your view.

Which is your favourite part of Istanbul?

1. Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi; Turkey for you; (Retrieved 2019-06-28) [↩]