The Galata Tower

(Galata Kulesi in Turkish)

— called Christea Turris (the Tower of Christ in Latin) by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn’s junction with the Bosphorus.
One of the city’s most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Istanbul’s historic peninsula and its environs.

Galata Tower Photos

Inside Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul - Restaurant — Inside Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul – Restaurant

Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul - Inside Galata Tower — Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul – Inside Galata Tower

Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul night.

Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul day

Galata Tower Istanbul Visit Istanbul evening

description of galata tower

What is Galata Tower height ? The nine-story tower is 66.90 m (219.5 ft) (62.59 m (205.3 ft) without the ornament on top, 51.65 m (169.5 ft) at the observation deck), and was the city’s tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is 35 m (115 ft) above sea-level. The tower has an external diameter of 16.45 m (54.0 ft) at the base, an inside diameter of 8.95 m (29.4 ft), and walls that are 3.75 m (12.3 ft) thick.

There is a restaurant and café on its upper floors which command a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Also located on the upper floors is a restaurant which hosts a Turkish cuisine. There are two operating elevators that carry visitors from the lower level to the upper levels.

Do you know Galata Tower is built in 1204 by Fourth Crusade ?

History of Galata Tower

The Romanesque style tower was built as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul at 219.5 ft (66.9 m) when it was built in 1348.
It was built to replace the old Tower of Galata, an original Byzantine tower named Megalos Pyrgos (English: Great Tower) which controlled the northern end of the massive sea chain that closed the entrance to the Golden Horn. That tower was on a different site and was largely destroyed in 1203, during the Fourth Crusade of 1202–1204.