There are few monuments that are as strongly linked to İstanbul as the Maiden’s Tower. You can never miss it regardless of from which direction you look at the Bosphorus. that divides as well as unites the city. If you are on the ferry crossing from one side of the city to the other, Maiden Tower is always there reminding herself to you.
‘The tower was originally built by the Athenian general Alcibiades in 408 BC as a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea. It was later rebuilt and used as a defence tower by the Byzantine emperors, who connected it to the Asian shore with a chain to prevent enemy ships from entering the Bosphorus. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower was destroyed and then reconstructed by Sultan Mehmed II. It served as a lighthouse, a quarantine station, and a military base throughout the Ottoman era.‘ (https://muze.gen.tr/muze-detay/kizkulesi)
There are many legends that surround this iconic light house. The most famous one is about a Byzantine Emperor and his beautiful daughter. The oracle prophesies that her daughter would die of a snake bite which leads the Emperor to build a light house in the middle of the sea to protect her from her fate. However, the story takes a tragic turn when a snake hidden inside a basket of fruit handed to her for her birthday finally bites her leading to her demise. The legend says that she dies in her father’s arms. I always tie this story to many İstanbulite’s belief in ‘fate’. The reason this tower is called ‘the maiden’s tower’ is also linked to this legend loved by İstanbulites for centuries.
An old photo from 1870s with the Maiden’s Tower in the background
A photo from the first half of the 20th century when old İstanbulites dominated the cultural life. You can see the ladies and gentleman in their bathing suits in Üsküdar overlooking the Maiden’s Tower. This photo is pure nostalgia now as Üsküdar today is dominated by conservatism
So if you ever get a chance to visit Üsküdar, make sure to have a glimpse at this iconic İstanbul lighthouse from close up as a tribute to İstanbul’s past full of legends!
