The Leander’s tower which is one of the symbols of
Istanbul dates back to 341 BC. There are several stories told about
Kız kulesi which is named “
Leander’s Tower” by westerns. The most widespread story is about the daughter of the
Byzantine Emperor who was killed by a snake hidden in a basket of figs which was brought to the tower from land. That is why, the tower is named
Maiden’s Tower. If we look further into the history we understand that this place was called “
Leandros”.
Leandros fell in love with
Hera who was one of the nuns of
Aphrodit.
Leandros swam to the
Maiden’s Tower to see his dear one. One day he was defeated by the storm and the waves and died.
Hera could not cope with this grief and killed herself.
Fatih Sultan Mehmet had the tower demolished after he conquered
Istanbul and had it erected anew and placed his soldiers here. The tower with was demolished by the earthquake in 1509 was rebuilt. The Tower served as light house in 1600’s. In 1726
Damat Ibrahim Paşa equipped the
Maiden’s tower with stone buildings and used the tower as a prison for a short period. It was used as a quarantine station when cholera broke out in 1830.
Mahmut II had the tower re-erected. The square shaped big tower was covered with a multi edge , windowed cap raised from a gallery surrounded with a balustrade and equipped with a flagpole. During the Republic period the tower was used to provide sea transport safety. The
Maiden’s tower which was restored between 1943-1945 serves today as restaurant and night club. There are daily regular boat services from
Salacak to the tower.
