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Description
Maiden's Tower is located at the intersection point of the two continents Europe and Asia. Due to its location, it has been the symbol of Istanbul and one of the unique structures of the world.

Since the structure of Maiden's Tower dates back to 2500 years ago, it witnessed everything that the city encountered. During Hellenistic times, the tower was a mausoleum over a peninsula and it turned to be a customs station during Byzantine Empire in order to control the entrance and exit of the Bosphorus. During the Ottoman Empire, it carried out as a platform to perform Janissary Song, defense castle, banishment station, quarantine and so on...Its main duty was being a lighthouse and guiding people, boats and lovers...

LEGENDS

Due to the fact the tower was always unreachable even if it was located in the heart of the city, people never knew what was really happening in the tower and made up stories and dreamed about the lives in the tower. The first story about Maiden’s Tower is related to the love of Hero and Leandros that Ovidius wrote down. Hero was a nun from the temple of Aphrodite and prohibited to love, therefore, she was placed to the tower to be protected from men. However, her melancholic love with Leandros began after she left the tower for a ritual at the temple. Hero and Leandros fell in love with each other and they blessed their love after Leandros's visit to the tower at night. The Tower was the only witness of these young lovers and its lighthouse was guiding only the heart of Leandros. The only fear of Hero was the anger of goddess. On a stormy night, when Leandros was swimming to reach the tower, ever-winking light of the lighthouse got faded and he drowned at the Bosphorus. In the morning, Hero saw the dead body of Leandros at the shore and she left herself down from the tower.

The second story about the tower sounds similar to the end of Cleopatra. According to the oracular, a king was told that when his daughter becomes 18 years old, she would bit by a snake and die. The king built that tower which was away from the land and located at the middle of sea in order to place his daughter there and protect her from the snakes. However, as it is not possible to run away from the destiny, the girl was bite by a snake that came out from the grape basket which was sent to the tower. The king built an iron coffin for her and placed it to the top of the entrance of Hagia Sophia. There are still two holes on this coffin and it is believed that the snakes did not leave her alone even after her death.

The last story took place during the Ottoman Empire. It is told that Battal Ghazi and his soldiers invaded the Maiden's Tower and stole the daughter of Tekvur as well as his treasure. As Battal Ghazi seized the treasure and the girl, he jumped on his horse and backed out from the tower. The Turkish saying; “the one that got the horse already passes Uskudar” comes from that story. In relation to the story, the Turks named the tower as Maiden's Tower since it also ref

Description
Maiden's Tower is located at the intersection point of the two continents Europe and Asia. Due to its location, it has been the symbol of Istanbul and one of the unique structures of the world.

Since the structure of Maiden's Tower dates back to 2500 years ago, it witnessed everything that the city encountered. During Hellenistic times, the tower was a mausoleum over a peninsula and it turned to be a customs station during Byzantine Empire in order to control the entrance and exit of the Bosphorus. During the Ottoman Empire, it carried out as a platform to perform Janissary Song, defense castle, banishment station, quarantine and so on...Its main duty was being a lighthouse and guiding people, boats and lovers...

LEGENDS

Due to the fact the tower was always unreachable even if it was located in the heart of the city, people never knew what was really happening in the tower and made up stories and dreamed about the lives in the tower. The first story about Maiden’s Tower is related to the love of Hero and Leandros that Ovidius wrote down. Hero was a nun from the temple of Aphrodite and prohibited to love, therefore, she was placed to the tower to be protected from men. However, her melancholic love with Leandros began after she left the tower for a ritual at the temple. Hero and Leandros fell in love with each other and they blessed their love after Leandros's visit to the tower at night. The Tower was the only witness of these young lovers and its lighthouse was guiding only the heart of Leandros. The only fear of Hero was the anger of goddess. On a stormy night, when Leandros was swimming to reach the tower, ever-winking light of the lighthouse got faded and he drowned at the Bosphorus. In the morning, Hero saw the dead body of Leandros at the shore and she left herself down from the tower.

The second story about the tower sounds similar to the end of Cleopatra. According to the oracular, a king was told that when his daughter becomes 18 years old, she would bit by a snake and die. The king built that tower which was away from the land and located at the middle of sea in order to place his daughter there and protect her from the snakes. However, as it is not possible to run away from the destiny, the girl was bite by a snake that came out from the grape basket which was sent to the tower. The king built an iron coffin for her and placed it to the top of the entrance of Hagia Sophia. There are still two holes on this coffin and it is believed that the snakes did not leave her alone even after her death.

The last story took place during the Ottoman Empire. It is told that Battal Ghazi and his soldiers invaded the Maiden's Tower and stole the daughter of Tekvur as well as his treasure. As Battal Ghazi seized the treasure and the girl, he jumped on his horse and backed out from the tower. The Turkish saying; “the one that got the horse already passes Uskudar” comes from that story. In relation to the story, the Turks named the tower as Maiden's Tower since it also ref