History, legends and entertainment in the Maiden Tower

On a small islet located in the Bosporus just off the coast from Üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul sits another famous landmark, full of history and legends: The Maiden Tower. (map)

At first glimpse, it’s just a lighthouse, but ask any local about the maiden tower and immediately you will be regaled with stories about love and jealousy, tragedy, good food and music. How does all that fit together?

Maiden Tower in the Bosporus

History of the Maiden Tower

A watch tower was first build by the Greek general Alkibiades in 408 BC to control the movement of the Persian fleet. It was vastly renovated and enlarged by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus in 1110 as a lighthouse and served the same purpose under the sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Like many ancient structures in Istanbul, the Maiden Tower didn’t escape natural disasters like fires but was always re-built, the last restoration having been made in 1998. Today it’s the site of a popular café and restaurant which serves excellent food and provides life entertainment.

On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday, the ‘Group Leander’ plays clasical Turkish music, during the rest of the week (with the exception of Monday when it’s closed) you can enjoy a DJ and rock and pop together with Istanbul’s young, hip crowd.

Legend

There are too many to fit in this article but here is the most popular one: a sultan had a daughter whom he loved very much. An oracle told him that she would die on her 18^th birthday by a snake bite. To prevent such disaster from happening, the sultan built the tower and locked his daughter away in it, thinking she was safe from snakes surrounded by water. On her 18^th birthday he came to visit and celebrate and gave her a basket full of exotic fruit. She reached inside, but an asp was hiding, bit her in the hand and she died in her father’s  arms just as the oracle had predicted. Hence the name : maiden tower.

In another version it’s a Byzantine emperor instead of a sultan  and then there is the Greek story of Hero and Leander who were using the tower as the place of their love affair, but the Gods got jealous, and one night, they blew out the light which guided Leander to his Hera and he drowned. Full of grief, Hero jumped into the sea too. That’s why the tower is also known as the Leander Tower.

How to get there

It’s easiest to take the street car from Zeytinburnu to Kabatas and get off at the final stop. Cross over to the waterfront, look out for the ferry IDO booth and take the boat cross. Ferries run from 12 am to 6pm and the evening service to enjoy the entertainment on the island runs from 8pm to 9.30. Tickets cost approx. $2.

Photograph by claude attard bezzina@flickr