The sights of Istanbul are endless. Wherever you look, you will see works full of mysteries, legends, romantic chatter and stories that have been going on throughout the history of Turkey. This time we want to explore the waters of Marmara and the Black Sea, our adventure is combined with the smell of sea salt and a bit of legend. where are we Istanbul. Where is our destination? Istanbul Maiden Tower ( Kız Kulesi) , where all the events that we will tell you next happened here, so we will visit it.
History of Istanbul Maiden Tower
It is safe to say that Istanbul’s Maiden Tower is one of the most famous sights in Türkiye. Where fantasy and reality are combined. Many stories are told for this tower. Leaving aside the various legends, the amazing architecture and the beautiful palace of this tower have added to its more attractiveness.
Maiden Tower Istanbul has a turbulent history. A thousand years ago, they laid the first bricks of this building and started to build it. This building is one of dozens of buildings of the Byzantine Empire that remain and shines like a gem on the small island of Istanbul.
History says that this tower was built in 410 AD after the victory of the famous Athenian naval general, Alcibiades, and it was actually considered an inspection tower. Dokhtar Tower was previously known as Leon Tower and it is also considered as the first lighthouse in Türkiye.
The use of the tower was also simple. Every ship that was passed was first inspected and then fully inspected, and besides that they also took the customs fee. After that, he was allowed to enter; But the history of the tower does not end here.
The Maiden Tower of Istanbul worked until 1110; But many parts of it were destroyed. The king of Byzantium at that time, namely Alexius Comennus, rebuilt it again and chose the name of the small tower for it.
Unfortunately, with the Ottomans gaining power and conquering the city, this tower was also destroyed and completely disappeared; Of course, another building was built in its place, which was completely made of wood, which was cursed and burned completely in a terrible fire in 1721.
In 1832, the tower was rebuilt again by the order of King Mahmud II, the Ottoman king, and began its work as a customs building. This time, the tower was made of stone and concrete so that it would not be easily destroyed.
Of course, a lighthouse was also installed on it to guide ships in the sea. During the same years, the tower was turned into a hospital and a radio station with the outbreak of cholera, and during the Ottoman war, they placed war cannons on the structure to have a defensive barrier on the Bosphorus Strait.
In 1950, everything changed and Burj Dokhtar became an entertainment place. In 2000, a restaurant and cafe was opened there and it became a place for Iranian and foreign tourists to visit. In its restaurant, you can always smell the good smell of authentic Turkish food and foreign food from all over the world.
Now this thousand-year-old tower has become one of the most attractive sights in Istanbul, and many people from all over the world travel to Istanbul to see it.
Maiden Tower – tourismassist
Its cafe and restaurant hosts enthusiastic people every day except Mondays. Indeed, it is open every other day from 12 noon to 7 pm, and there is music, song and dance every night.
Where is the maiden Tower?
Istanbul Maiden Tower is located on a small island in the Bosphorus strait and Skudar neighborhood in the Asian part of Istanbul. To go to this tower, you can go to Kabatash or Salajak pier.
There are boats to go to the island from 9 am to 9 pm. These boats depart every half to an hour and bring you to your destination in 20 minutes.
The reason for naming Maiden Tower
Many years ago, just when Turkey was under the rule of the Roman Empire, Constantinople or Constantine was present-day Turkey, and the Byzantine king ruled here. The legend of the name Burj Dokhtar comes from here. Where one of the kings of Byzantium had a beautiful daughter who was very lovely and popular.
One day, a fortune teller told the king that his beloved daughter would die from a snake bite at the age of 18, and this made the king find an island on the Bosphorus strait and build a tower so that his daughter would stay there and be away from land and snakes.
The girl’s 18th birthday arrives and the girl is still alive. The king organizes a big celebration to express his happiness and gives his daughter a big basket of fruits. When the girl opens the basket, there was a big snake in it, it bites the girl and the girl dies right there.
According to the same legend, this tower is called Dokhtar Tower; Of course, other legends and stories have been told for this tower; But one of the most famous is the story of the prince and the snake, and in fact, it is considered to be the reason for the naming of Istanbul’s Maiden Tower.
Istanbul Maiden Tower architecture
The architecture of Burj Dokhtar Istanbul is a traditional architecture and it is a combination of Islamic, Roman architecture and parts of those Christian architectures. The famous architect of the Ottoman period during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, that is, Rahim Effendi, reconstructed it and made it out of stone and concrete to prevent further damage.
This building was built at a height of 23 meters and has several floors. The most important part of it is the porch. Its balcony gives you a 360-degree view of Istanbul. After that, there are rooms full of fascinating paintings. Some of them are the narration of the legends that are told for this tower.
There is also a large restaurant in the lower part of the building. This restaurant prepares delicious local Turkish dishes and you can taste international dishes, especially Mediterranean dishes.
The different rooms of this structure have now turned into a large museum. All those who go to Maiden Tower restaurant in Istanbul can visit its museum.
Burj Dokhtar
Different parts of Maiden Tower
Dokhtar Tower in Istanbul includes different parts. Each of these sections is available for visitors at a certain time and they can go there. Its parts include the ones we talk about next.
- Museum
Maiden Tower Museum of Istanbul is one of the attractive sights of this building. This section is full of paintings, paintings and works that are completely related to this tower. There are several ancient and old works in this museum, which Alibaba is sure will attract the attention of the audience and those interested in old works.
- Porch
According to Alibaba, the most attractive part of this tower is its porch. Where the whole city is under your feet. From there, you can see the whole of Istanbul in a 360-degree view. Imagine a lovely summer evening with Istanbul in all its lights.
- Restaurant
The most important part of this structure is its restaurant. This restaurant is open for certain hours of the day and serves Turkish and international dishes. The most important dishes of the restaurant are Mediterranean dishes and seafood.
The access route to Maiden Tower
If you want to see all the sights of Turkey and have time to visit Maiden Tower, you can go to Maiden Tower from Atatürk Airport.
Ataturk Airport is the closest airport to this tower and is only 28 kilometers away. If there is no traffic or the traffic is smooth, it only takes 30 minutes to reach the pier.
If you want to travel by train, the closest train station to Istanbul’s Maiden Tower is Heydarpaşa Train Station. This station is only 4.4 km away and it takes 8 minutes without traffic.
Bus is also one of the cheapest ways to travel and you can choose it. Istanbul Bus Station is only 18 km away from Maiden Tower and if there is no traffic, you can get there in 25 minutes.
The best time to visit Maiden Tower
The Maiden Tower of Istanbul is beautiful in every season; But its spring and summer are very wonderful. During these seasons, you can travel to this city and enjoy its good weather and spectacular views.
In autumn and winter, this place is very cold and it will be a little difficult to visit it, especially since there is a possibility of extreme cold, freezing, etc. in these seasons.
Amenities of Maiden Tower
Dokhtar Tower is located on a small island, and after the tower building, there is little space to build welfare buildings; However, the restaurant and restrooms and a prayer room in the corner of the restaurant are among the comforts of this tower. The rest of the amenities are located within a few kilometers.
Places of interest near Maiden Tower
We are not always going to visit only one place, you can also visit other places of interest near this structure after seeing Burj Dokhtar.
- Delma Baghche Palace
This palace is 1.7 km away from Doktar Tower in Istanbul and is located in Beyoglu district. With the development of Turkey and the increase of European visitors and merchants, Sultan Abdülmecid I ordered the construction of a new palace to replace Topkapi Palace. Dolma Baghche Palace was established in 1843 and lasted for 400 years.
Now this palace has become one of the most attractive symbols of Istanbul and one of the most attractive places to visit in Türkiye.
- Innocence Museum
This museum is located at a distance of 2 kilometers from the tower. The Museum of Innocence is actually the name of a novel by the famous Turkish author, Orhan Pamuk. This museum shows the story of the book and is one of the most attractive places that tourists visit in Istanbul. This museum evokes the wonderful world of Pamuk’s novel.
- Galata Tower
Galata Tower is directly opposite the Dokhtar Tower and is only 3 kilometers away from it. Where this tower is located, they built a wooden lighthouse, which was completely destroyed.
The Byzantine Empire built an observation tower in 1348 AD to fill the empty space of the tower. Today, this tower has become a symbol of Istanbul in terms of its charm.
Visiting these places brings unique experiences to visitors. We are sure that you will experience unrepeatable pleasure by seeing each of them; Of course, spring and summer are the best time to visit these areas and these attractive places.
Maiden Tower – tourismassist
Recommendations for visiting Maiden Tower
Well, first of all, we are very happy that you got to know more about Istanbul’s Maiden Tower and now you have information about its amazing legends and stories. The best part of this trip is seeing it up close.
Cool summer clothes, comfortable shoes and cash are the most important things you will definitely need to have an amazing visit to Maiden Tower in Istanbul. Mornings and evenings are the best time to go there.
To enter this tower, you have to pay a fee of 25 liras, and this place is not open on holidays, so don’t count on visiting it. You can go to different parts of this tower; But to be honest, the porch section is the most popular section that I recommend you check out.
Here you can see the whole sea and the Galata Tower, which we talked about earlier. The sound of seagulls, sea waves and the salty smell of water and people talking, the sound of ships and the bustle of Istanbul will be the background music of the landscape in front of you. good luck on your trip!
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