Maiden's Tower of ISTANBUL

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The Maiden's Tower (Turkish: Kız Kulesi) is a legendary landmark located at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. The tower stands on a small islet just 200 meters from the coast of Üsküdar, offering breathtaking views of the former Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman capital. Built by Alcibiades, the ancient Athenian general, as a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea in front of Chrysopolis (today's Üsküdar), the tower has undergone numerous transformations over the centuries. In 1110, Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus constructed a wooden tower protected by a stone wall, with an iron chain stretching across to another tower on the European shore. The tower played a significant role in the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 1453, serving as a watchtower for the Venetian Gabriele Trevisano. Later, during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, it was used as a lighthouse and repair work on the surrounding walls took place in 1731 and 1734. In 1763, the tower was rebuilt using stone, and from 1829 to 1832, it served as a quarantine station. Restored by Sultan Mahmud II and again by the harbour authority in 1945, the most recent restoration began in 1998 for the James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough. Steel supports were added around the ancient tower after the 17 August 1999 earthquake. Today, the interior of the tower has been transformed into a popular café and restaurant, offering an excellent view of the former Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman capital. Private boats make trips to the tower several times a day. Legend has it that the tower was built by an emperor to protect his beloved daughter from a venomous snake prophesied to kill her on her 18th birthday. The princess lived in the tower until her predicted demise, when she received a basket of exotic fruits as a birthday gift from her father, but an asp had been hiding among them, biting and killing the young princess. The name Leander's Tower comes from another ancient story about Hero and Leander, a Greek myth where Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower at Sestos. Leander would swim across the Hellespont (Dardanelles) to be with her every night, guided by a lamp lit by Hero. Tragically, Leander drowned during a stormy winter night, and Hero threw herself from the tower in grief. Due to the similarity between the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus, Leander's story was mistakenly attributed to the Maiden's Tower.