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The Maiden's Tower, the small island that has connected Europe and Asia for 2,500 years

2024-12-22 16:03:14Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
The Maiden's Tower, the small island that has connected Europe and Asia for
Maiden's Tower

In the heart of Istanbul – the ancient city once called Byzantium, then Constantinople, and then New Rome – the Maiden’s Tower, known as Kız Kulesi, stands proudly on a small rock in the middle of the Bosphorus. This symbolic building has served as a connecting point between two continents for more than 2,500 years.

The path to the tower begins at Karaköy Pier, where visitors from around the world stop to explore the waterfront restaurants and watch ships pass through the strait. With more than 23 million foreign tourists in 2024, Istanbul ranks as the second most visited destination in the world, according to Euromonitor International.

From the pier, a tourist boat takes visitors to the Maiden's Tower. During the short, panoramic ride, they can see the hustle and bustle of the Bosphorus, where about 30,000 ships pass each year. "It's one of the busiest straits in the world," historian Saffet Emre Tonguç tells CNN.

A tower with many mysteries

Originally built in 410 BC as a customs post to control ships sailing from the Black Sea, the Maiden's Tower has had a rich and varied history. During the Byzantine era, it was transformed into a defensive tower by Emperor Manuel I Komnenos, while during the Ottoman period, Sultan Mehmed II strengthened it into a stone fortress.

From the 17th century, the tower began to serve as a lighthouse, a function it retained for a long time. In the 1830s, during cholera epidemics, its isolation from the city made it ideal as a quarantine hospital. In the 1980s, the tower was used to store cyanide, and in 1992, a group of poets declared it a “Republic of Poetry.”

The Maiden's Tower, the small island that has connected Europe and Asia for

The legends that give life to the tower

The Maiden's Tower is steeped in myth. One of the most popular legends tells of a king who built the tower to protect his daughter from a prophecy of a fatal snake bite. However, a snake hiding in a basket of fruit fulfilled the prediction.

Another story is related to Ovid's myth of Leander, who swam to the tower every night to meet his beloved. One fateful night, he drowns and his love takes her own life. The tower has even been called the partner of the Galata Tower in an imaginary romantic relationship, symbolizing the connection between the two shores of the city.

The Maiden's Tower, the small island that has connected Europe and Asia for

Restoration of a historical monument

After a two-year restoration, the Maiden's Tower reopened in March 2024 as a modern monument-museum. Architect Han Tümertekin and his team aimed to restore its original features, lost by 20th-century interventions.

Today, visitors can climb the new internal staircase and enjoy a magnificent view of Istanbul from its observation platform. After exploring the tower and its small island, many enjoy a drink at the simple café nearby.

The Maiden's Tower, the small island that has connected Europe and Asia for

An eternal symbol of the city

Although a visit to the Maiden's Tower costs 27 euros plus 5 euros for the boat ride, it remains a unique experience. For those who have a ticket for Istanbul museums, entry is more affordable, although its price is 105 euros.

Tonguç considers the restoration a necessary step in protecting this ancient monument. “Istanbul’s historical monuments were built to withstand centuries of earthquakes, floods and fires,” he says. “They were built to last forever.”

In the middle of the Bosphorus, the Maiden's Tower continues to be a symbol of Istanbul's history and magic, a connection between different continents and eras.

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