The legendary Maiden’s Tower of İstanbul reopened as a monument and a museum on the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye after meticulous restoration works and several improvements.
KUALA LUMPUR – Kız Kulesi, or Maiden’s Tower, an iconic structure off the coast of İstanbul’s Asian side, has opened its doors again with the completion of the restoration process started by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2021. The tower, which is situated on the Bosporus Strait, will now function as a monument museum.
The Maiden’s Tower was initially constructed in the fifth century BC on an islet about 20 metres from the present-day coast of Üsküdar as a customs checkpoint to manage ships travelling through the Bosporus and collect taxation. On this tiny islet, the Eastern Roman Emperor Manuel Komnenos ordered the construction of a defence structure in the 12th century. An iron chain that extended from the tower to another tower on the Historical Peninsula took control of the Bosporus’ entry and departure.
After the conquest of İstanbul in 1453 by Sultan Mehmed II, a wooden tower was built here and served as a watchtower, a lighthouse and a quarantine site in the upcoming centuries. In the Republic era after being used by the city’s port authority for a long time, the tower was handed over to the Turkish Ministry of Defense in 1964 and then to Maritime Enterprises of Türkiye in 1983. Serving as a radar station and storehouse during this period, it later functioned for a while as a restaurant, accessible only via boats from Üsküdar’s shore.
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