Maiden's Tower

From the Üsküdar waterfront a small tower is visible standing alone in the water: the Maiden's Tower. It rests on a natural rock about 200 metres off the Salacak shore, where the Sea of Marmara meets the Bosphorus. The view from it runs north up the strait, south over the Marmara and west to the mouth of the Golden Horn, which is why the rock was used for centuries to watch over shipping and to control it.

History

A variety of buildings have occupied the rock over the ages. Earthquakes, bad weather and constant contact with the sea wore them down faster than usual, so they were rebuilt and renovated again and again. The tower's story is traced back to 24 BC. Along the way it has been a fortress, a place of exile and a prison, and it also worked as a quarantine room, a radio station, a toll point and a lighthouse.

Most of what is visible now was put up in 1832-33 under the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II. In those years the tower served as a quarantine hospital meant to keep a cholera epidemic out of the city. During the plague of 1836-37 some patients were isolated here too, and the quarantine helped hold back the disease.

A large restoration between 1995 and 2000 was followed by a lease to a private company for tourism, and the tower operated as a cafe and restaurant. In 2020 it passed to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. A far-reaching restoration from 2021 to 2023 stripped out later additions that did not fit the building's original character, brought back original details and opened the tower to the public as a monument.

The Leander legend

In the 18th century Western travellers attached an old Dardanelles story to the tower. A priestess of Aphrodite named Hero loves Leander, who lives on the far shore. Each night he swims across, steering by the torch she lights. One stormy night the torch cannot be lit, Leander loses his way and drowns, and Hero, finding his body on the beach at dawn, throws herself into the sea. That is why the building is still called Leander's Tower in Western languages.

Visiting

Boats reach the tower from Üsküdar Salacak, and sailings can change with the weather. For hours, fees and the boat fare, see the official page. The MüzeKart is valid for Turkish citizens. Children under 18 must come with a parent.