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TurkeyWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Maiden Tower (kız Kulesi, kız Kulesi) in Istanbul also known as Leandra tower, it is one of the architectural symbols of the city along with Galata Tower competing with her in popularity. Its image can also be seen on all kinds of souvenirs, but it is more difficult to visit it, unlike Galata, since it is located on a small island in the Bosphorus Strait near the coast of the Asian part of the city.
It is attractive, first of all, for its history, which, together with the island on which the tower is built, has at least 16 centuries. It is not known for certain from historical sources why and when the tower was built, but according to the boldest versions it appeared in the IV century as a watchtower. However, officially it is still believed that the original wooden structure was built in the V century AD, when the confrontation between Athens and Sparta ended in order to control the Persian ships passing through the Bosphorus. After the arrival of the Ottomans from the XV century, it began to be used as a lighthouse, and sometimes even for the detention of convicts or sentenced to death. In its current form, it appeared only in 1970, when after a fire it was decided to build not a wooden, but a stone fortification. Almost in this video, it has come down to our days, having experienced a global restoration in the 40s of the last century.
The name "maiden" stuck because of the legend, according to which one Turkish sultan loved his daughter very much, but a clairvoyant predicted her death at the age of 18. The sultan gave orders to build a tower for her to hide from danger and protect her from destruction. But the tower did not save her, and she died from the bite of a poisonous snake, which was in a pot presented by the Sultan on his 18th birthday.
But the tower has a second name - "Leandra", which refers to the ancient Greek legend. Leander was the name of a young man who every evening crossed the Bosphorus by swimming to meet his beloved, who every evening lit a fire on the tower so that he would not get lost on the way. But one day the fire went out and Leander drowned. Saddened by grief, the girl threw herself from the tower into the sea.
In the tower there is a restaurant, a bar, and an observation deck is open at the top, from where, in good weather, both parts of the city are perfectly visible, located in different parts of the world: Asian and European. In our opinion, the popularity of the Maiden Tower far exceeds the real experience and pleasure you will get from visiting it at such a high price. In addition, in the high season it is so crowded that no romantic dinner in the restaurant in the tower is out of the question, everything is put on stream. Therefore, if you are in Istanbul for the first time, you can skip this attraction, limiting yourself to its inspection from the side during a cruise along the Bosphorus, and instead of it to start climbing the Galata Tower. For information, the Galata Tower is also crowded in the season, but at least you don't have to swim there.
🕐 Working hours
the restaurant and Tower are open from 09:00 to 19:00, and from 20:00 to 00:30 (for dinners), seven days a week.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
the entrance fee to the tower and the ascent to the observation deck, including boat delivery from the pier, is 600 lire. (13.06 USD, see Turkish currency and exchange rate), children under 6 years old inclusive-free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
located on a small island in the Bosphorus Strait near the coast of the Asian part of the city (Maiden Tower on the map. On the old site and guidebooks you can find a description that in order to get and climb the tower, you have to buy something in a cafe. As of 2019, this is not consistent with reality. Now at the pier Kabatas (Kabatas) you need to buy a ticket for 30 lire, which includes travel by ferry, access to the tower and the observation deck, and whether to stay in the restaurant or buy, you can decide on the spot. Ferries from Kabatash Pier depart every 30-60 minutes according to the schedule from 10:00 to 18:00. When you arrive on the island, you can spend as much time there as you like, and return by ferry at will. There are also three evening flights at 20:00, 20:45 and 21:30 for dinner. See the current schedule on the website - http://www.kizkulesi.com.tr. In addition to the Kabatash Marina, ferries depart every 15 minutes from the small salacak Marina in the Asian district opposite the tower, but it is very difficult to get there from tourist areas, so this option should not be considered.
In turn, Kabatash pier is very easy to get to (Kabatas Marina on the map):
- From the tourist Beyoglu district, Istiklal streets and Taksim squares it can be reached on foot in 20 minutes, you need to go down the streets. If you do not want to walk, or in order not to climb back on foot, you can use the F1 funicular, the fare costs 2.4 lira when paying map of Istanbult.
- Of Sultanahmet district you need to take the tram T2, and go to the final stop Kabatash, which is located right next to the pier. The fare costs 2.4 lira when paying with an Istanbul Kart card
- From other areas, you can take the Metro to Taksim station, from where you can descend to the pier on the F1 funicular, or walk.
If you still decide to get to Salacak Marina, it can be reached on foot in 30 minutes from Uskudar Marina, which in turn can be reached from almost all other marinas in tourist areas.
For more information, see Istanbul transport and Istanbul transport map.
Without telling the story, visiting this landmark and other places in Istanbul is not so interesting. You can find and buy online Russian-language tours of Istanbul on one of these trusted sites: