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The Maiden's Tower ( tr, Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the

Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...

strait, from the coast of Üsküdar in Istanbul, Turkey. The tower appeared on the reverse of the Turkish 10

lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current currency of Turkey and also the local name of the currencies of Lebanon and of Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, including those of Italy, Malta and Israe ...

banknote from 1966 to 1981.

History

After the naval victory at Cyzicus, in 408 BC the Athenian general

Alcibiades Alcibiades ( ; grc-gre, Ἀλκιβιάδης; 450 – 404 BC) was a prominent Athenian statesman, orator, and general. He was the last of the Alcmaeonidae, which fell from prominence after the Peloponnesian War. He played a major role in t ...

probably built a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea on a small rock in front of Chrysopolis (today's Üsküdar).Müller-Wiener (1976), p. 334 In 1110 Byzantine Emperor

Alexius Comnenus Alexios I Komnenos ( grc-gre, Ἀλέξιος Κομνηνός, 1057 – 15 August 1118; Latinized Alexius I Comnenus) was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. Although he was not the first emperor of the Komnenian dynasty, it was durin ...

built a wooden tower protected by a stone wall. From the tower an iron chain stretched across to another tower erected on the European shore, at the quarter of Mangana in Constantinople. The islet was then connected to the Asiatic shore through a defense wall, whose underwater remains are still visible. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower held a Byzantine

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

commanded by the

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetian and the like may also refer to: * Venetian language, a Romance language s ...

Gabriele Trevisano. Subsequently, the structure was used as a watchtower by the Ottoman Turks during the reign of sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The tower was destroyed during the earthquake of 1509, rebuilt, and then burned down in 1721. Reconstruction was ordered by the grand vizier Damad Ibrahim Pasha and the new building was used as a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

; the surrounding walls were repaired in 1731 and 1734. Finally in 1763 the tower was reconstructed in more durable stone. From 1829 it was used as a quarantine station before being restored again by Sultan Mahmud II in 1832. In 1945 it was the turn of the harbour authority to patch it up. Then in 1998 it was restored again, a short time before appearing in the James Bond movie '' The World Is Not Enough''. After the 17 August 1999 earthquake and tsunami in the Sea of Marmara steel supports were added to the tower to strengthen it. The interior was converted into a café and restaurant, with views of the former Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman capital at Sarayburnu. Private boats ply back and forth between the tower and the shore throughout the day. In 2021 work on restoring the tower yet again started. Once it is completed there may no longer be a restaurant inside it.

Origin of the name

There are several stories about the tower's name. According to one story, an

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

prophesied that the emperor's much beloved daughter would be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday. In an effort to protect her, the emperor had the tower built in the Bosphorus and had her locked there to keep her away from any snakes. Her only regular visitor was her father. On her 18th birthday, the emperor brought her a basket of exotic fruits as a gift, delighted that he had been able to thwart the prophecy. However, an

asp Asp may refer to: Places * Asp, part of Densbüren, Aargau, Switzerland * Aspe (''Asp'' in Valencian), Alicante, Spain * Asp Lake, a lake in Minnesota Animals * Asp (fish) * Asp (snake), in antiquity, one of several venomous snakes ** ''Cera ...

that had been hiding among the fruit bit the princess who died in her father's arms, just as the oracle had predicted, hence the name Maiden's Tower. The alternative name Leander's Tower comes from the Greek myth of Hero and Leander. Hero was a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower at

Sestos Sestos ( el, Σηστός, la, Sestus) was an ancient city in Thrace. It was located at the Thracian Chersonese peninsula on the European coast of the Hellespont, opposite the ancient city of Abydos, and near the town of Eceabat in Turkey. In ...

, at the edge of the

Hellespont The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...

( Dardanelles). Leander (''Leandros''), a young man from

Abydos Abydos may refer to: *Abydos, a progressive metal side project of German singer Andy Kuntz * Abydos (Hellespont), an ancient city in Mysia, Asia Minor * Abydos (''Stargate''), name of a fictional planet in the '' Stargate'' science fiction universe ...

on the other side of the strait, fell in love with her and would swim across the Hellespont every night to be with her. Hero would light a lamp at the top of her tower to guide his way. Succumbing to Leander's pleas, and to his argument that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, would scorn the worship of a virgin, Hero allowed him to make love to her throughout the warm summer. But one stormy winter night, the waves buffeted Leander in the water. The wind blew out Hero's light, and Leander lost his way and was drowned. Hero threw herself from the tower in grief and died as well. Due to the vicinity and similarity between the Dardanelles and the

, Leander's story was mistakenly attributed to the tower.

In popular culture

*Tower is featured in a romantic scene of Turkish TV series Kördügün (“Intersection”), Season 2, Episode 6. *The tower featured in the James Bond film '' The World Is Not Enough''. It was also visible in the background in the 1963 Bond film '' From Russia with Love''. *The tower was also used in the film '' Hitman''. *The tower was a point on the American reality game show ''

The Amazing Race 7 ''The Amazing Race 7'' is the seventh season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS March 1, 2005, and concluded on May 10, ...

''. *The tower featured heavily in the Turkish drama programme

Kurtlar Vadisi 'Valley of the Wolves' ( tr, Kurtlar Vadisi) is a Turkish television drama that originally aired on Show TV. The show was subsequently acquired by Kanal D for its final season. The show focuses on the protagonist Agent Polat Alemdar, an undercov ...

. *The tower appeared in the Turkish drama programme Kırgın Çiçekler. *The tower was featured in the game '' Assassin's Creed: Revelations'' where it is the location of one Masyaf key that the playable character must collect to complete the game. *The tower featured prominently in the logo for Istanbul's unsuccessful bid for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. *The tower also featured in the Turkish drama programme

Erkenci Kuş ''Erkenci Kuş'' (English title: ''Daydreamer'') is a Turkish television series that aired on Star TV from June 26, 2018 to August 6, 2019. The series stars Demet Özdemir and Can Yaman. Plot Sanem is a young woman who aspires to be a writer ...

(Early Bird). *The tower appeared in sixth episode of the Turkish drama programme Zengin Kız Fakir Oğlan (Rich Girl, Poor Boy).

References and notes

Sources

External links