Maiden's Tower is one of the most romantic symbol of Istanbul. It is also known as Kizkulesi which is located at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait.
Kizkulesi is located off the coast of Salacak neighborhood in Üsküdar district, at the southern entrance of the #Bosphorus. It literally means "Maiden's Tower" in Turkish. The name comes from a legend: the Byzantine emperor heard a prophecy telling him that his beloved daughter would die at the age of 18 by a snake. So he decided to put her in this tower built on a rock on the Bosphorus isolated from the land thus no snake could kill her. But she couldn't escape from her destiny after all, a snake hidden in a fruit basket brought from the city bit the princess and killed her.
Kizkulesi is dating back to the 5th century BC when it was built by the Athenian general Alcibiades on a rock at the entrance of the Bosphorus for the surveillance of the waterway. A chain was pulled from the land to the tower to make it a checkpoint and customs area for the ships going through. After several restorations in wood and stone, Emperor Alexius Comnenos built a strong defense tower in the 12th century AD calling it Arcla, meaning "Small Tower". The tower was used as a lighthouse and control tower also during the Ottoman period after the Conquest of Constantinople. Final restoration was done in 1998 and opened as a restaurant.
Visiting Information
Today, Kizkulesi is a very popular and classy restaurant and cafeteria-bar. It offers 360 degree views of the Bosphorus and the old city, especially at night. Visitors do not need any reservation to go to Miaden’s Tower and after coming tower everyone can benefit from restaurant or cafeteria . It can be visitable from 09:00 a.m to 19:00 p.m
How to get there
Entrance for visiting
Adults 20 TL Per person. Student 10 TL per person (If they have ISC CARD)
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