History of Galata Tower
Near the shores of the Golden Horn, the Galata Tower, at 67 meters, rises above neighboring Karakoy and the historic buildings of the neighborhood of the same name in the Beyoğlu district. It has stood there since 500 AD, making it one of Istanbul’s monuments and one of the most famous tourist attractions in Istanbul.
The Galata Tower was used as a watchtower to defend the city as a lookout for the fires that were affecting the wooden buildings of the historic peninsula. It was initially built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 507-508 AD in a Romanesque architectural style. When the Galata neighborhood in the colony of the Republic of Genoa was walled, the tower was rebuilt in 1348-49. The area remained settled by Genoese merchants who came to trade with the Ottoman Empire between 1273 and 1453, and traces of them can still be seen today.
