A special tower can be seen at sea 200 meters from the coast of Üsküdar, Istanbul. A tower with a very interesting history, a legend!
Girls’ Tower, Üsküdar
Kiz Kulesi
Kiz Kulesi, literally translated as the girls’ tower, is a tower on a small island in Istanbul in the Üsküdar district. The tower is very visible in the surrounding neighborhoods because it is in the middle of the Bosphorus.
History
The Maiden’s Tower is a monument left over from the Byzantine Empire. The history of the tower dates back approximately to 2475 BC. and is built on a rock 200 meters from the coast of Üsküdar. The tower has served many different purposes.
The legend
There are several legends behind the construction of the tower. According to the most famous legend, the tower was built by the king of Athens. It was predicted by a priest that his daughter would die at the age of 18. So the king had this tower built and locked his daughter up here, thinking she would be safe there. All her groceries were brought by boat every day. But in the end, his daughter died from a snake bite from a snake hidden in a grape basket.
What the tower has been used for over the years
Over the years the tower has been used for various things.
- 341 BC. as a grave monument.
- In the year 1100, the tower was only used for defense until Istanbul was conquered by the Ottomans.
- After the conquest, the tower was used as ornamental.
- During the fall of the Ottoman Empire it was used as a hospital and then a castle.
- In 1959 the tower was used as a radio station.
- Since 1982 it has served as a restaurant and tourist attraction.
Other facts about the girls’ tower
- The tower featured in the James Bond film: The World Is Not Enough
- The tower also appeared in the movie Hitman
- In the American reality game show The Amazing Race 7, the tower was used as part of the race.
- The tower is regularly featured in the Turkish series Kurtlar Vadisi.
- In the game Assasin’s Creed: Revelations the tower appears and a certain assignment must be carried out.
- The tower was backed by Turkish 10 lira notes between 1966 and 1981.
- Source: Banknotes.it, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)