Galata Tower

The Galata Tower (Turkish: Galata Kulesi) or with the current official name Galata Kulesi Museum (Turkish: Galata Kulesi Müzesi) is a tower in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Its namesake is the quarter where it's located, Galata. Built as a watchtower as a part of the Walls of Galata, the tower is currently being used as an exhibition place and a museum. It's one of the symbols of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.

Galata Tower
Galata Kulesi
Galata Tower (January 2021)
Former namesTurris Sancte Crucis (Holy Cross Tower)
General information
TypeWatchtower (former) · observation tower (former) · fire tower (former) · touristic building · museum · exhibition place
LocationIstanbul, Turkey
Coordinates41°1′32.36″N 28°58′26.96″E
Completed1348
Renovated1453 · 1510 · 1794 · 1832 · 1875 · 1965-1967 · 1999-2000 · 2020
OwnerDirectorate General of Foundations
ManagementOfficial website
Height
Architectural62.59 m (205 ft)
Top floor40.04 m (131 ft)
Dimensions
DiameterInterior: 8.95 m (29.4 ft)
Exterior: 16.45 m (54.0 ft)
Technical details
Structural systemMasonry
MaterialStone
Floor count11 (including the basement, the ground floor and the mezzanine)
Lifts/elevators2
Grounds208 m2 (2,240 sq ft)

History

The Romanesque style[1][2] tower was built as Christea Turris ("Tower of Christ") in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. Galata Tower was the tallest building in Constantinople at 219.5 ft (66.9 m) when it was built in 1348.[3]

The upper section of the tower with the conical cap was slightly modified in several restorations during the Ottoman period when it was used as an observation tower for spotting fires.

Starting from 1717, the Ottomans began to use the tower for spotting fires in the city. In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof of the tower was made of lead and wood, and the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, upon which a new restoration work took place.

In 1875, during a storm, the conical roof on the top of the building was destroyed.[4][5] The tower remained without this conical roof for the rest of the Ottoman period. Many years later, during the restoration works between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed.[4][5] During this final restoration in the 1960s, the wooden interior of the tower was replaced by a concrete structure and it was commercialized and opened to the public.

Galata Tower was included in World Heritage temporary list in Turkey by UNESCO in 2013.

Panoramic view from the observation deck of the Galata Tower during the late Ottoman period
View of the Golden Horn and the Seraglio Point from Galata Tower

Architecture

The nine-story tower is (62.59 m (205.3 ft) without the ornament on top, 51.65 m (169.5 ft) at the observation deck), and was the city's tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is 61 m (200 ft) above sea-level. The tower has an external diameter of 16.45 m (54.0 ft) at the base, an inside diameter of 8.95 m (29.4 ft), and walls that are 3.75 m (12.3 ft) thick.

The tower replaces an earlier Galata Tower that was built in 528 during the Byzantine Empire. This tower was destroyed during the Crusades.

There was a restaurant and café on its upper floors which have views of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Also located on the upper floors is a nightclub that hosts a Turkish show. There are two operating elevators that carry visitors from the lower level to the upper levels.

See also

References
  1. "Galata Kulesi hikayesi" (in Turkish). Hürriyet. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  2. "MİMARİ'DE TARZ ve ÜSLUP ÖRNEKLEMELERİ" (in Turkish). İREN ELÇİSOY ARCHITECTURE. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  3. Katie Hallam (2009). The Traveler's Atlas: Europe. London: Barron's Educational Series.(2009), p. 118-119.
  4. "Time Out Istanbul: "Galata Kulesi'nin eski fotoğraflarda neden farklı göründüğünü merak ettiniz mi?"". Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  5. Galatakulesi.org: "Galata Kulesi: Kısa Tarihçe" Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading
  • Arseven, Celal Esat (1989). Eski Galata ve Binaları (in Turkish) (with new letters ed.). Istanbul: Çelik Gülersoy Vakfı İstanbul Kütüphanesi Yayınları. ISBN 9757512044.
  • Bilginer, Recep (April 1959). "Galata Kulesi". İETT Dergisi (in Turkish). No. 31. pp. 26–27.
  • Demiröz, Yasin; Acarkan, Bora (2016). Tarihi yapılarda dış cephe aydınlatması ve Galata Kulesi uygulaması (PDF). Elektrik, Elektronik ve Biyomedikal Mühendisliği Konferansı (in Turkish). Bursa. pp. 110–114.
  • Gündüz, Doğan (June 2004). "Galata Kulesi'ndeki saatleri ayarlama küresi". Toplumsal Tarih (in Turkish). No. 126.
  • Erkins, Ziya (1970). Galata Kulesi (in Turkish). Istanbul: Yörük Matbaası.
  • Galata Kulesi ve Çevresi Bölge Düzenleme Projesi (in Turkish). Istanbul: Beyoğlu Belediye Başkanlığı Yayınları. 1988.
  • "Artık bizim de bir Eiffel'imiz var: Galata Kulesi". Hayat (in Turkish). No. 27. 26 June 1969. pp. 16–17.
  • "Fener... Zindan... Yangın kulesi... Şimdi de turistik tesis: Galata Kulesi". Hayat (in Turkish). No. 39. 23 September 1965. pp. 16–17.
  • Arifoğlu, Nergiz (19 March 2018). "Galata Kulesi'nin aydınlatma tasarımı süreçleri" (in Turkish). Kaynak Elektrik. Archived from the original on 24 March 2018.
  • The Apes Of Galata - NFT Projesi (23 Nisan 2022)
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