One of the most iconic images of Istanbul surely has to be the Kız Kulesi Üsküdar, known in English as Maiden’s Tower, Tower of Leandros, Leander’s Tower or Bosphorus Tower. It is found on a small natural islet in the Bosphorus, just off the shore of Asian Istanbul
Yeah I was so excited to see this beauty, in middle of the ocean, where the boat takes you to the Tower. When i heard the stories I was amazed, but the thing i liked the most it was its location from where the bridge you can see, the Cami, and its the most famous location for making clicks.
What is the history of Maiden’s Tower Istanbul?
HERO & LEANDROS
Although this ancient story (500BCE) is commonly thought to have occurred in the Dardanelles or Hellespont on the other side of the sea of Marmara, this tower has been called Leanders Tower in Europe and the west for at least 400 years. Hero, a priestess sworn to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was sequestered here to ensure her sanctity. Leander somehow encountered her perhaps by passing in a boat, and fell fatally in love. Swimming to the tower ,he gradually won the love of Hero and their nightly meetings began. Hero lit a torch at the top of her tower every night to guide Leanders long swim. One stormy night, the wind blew out the torch, Leander lost his way and exhauster, perished beneath the waves. His body washed upon the rocks of this island, and Hero, seeing this was distraught and heartbroken so much, so that she leapt from the tower to her death, thus ensuring the immortality of their love.
Legend Of Snake
A sultan had a much beloved daughter. One day, an oracle prophecised that she would be stung to death by a venomous snake bite on her 18th birthday. The sultan, in an effort to thwart his daughter’s early demise by placing her away from land so as to keep her away from any snakes, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until after her 18th birthday. The daughter was placed in the tower, where she was frequently visited only by her father. On the daughter’s 18th birthday, the sultan had her brought a basket of exotic sumptouous fruit as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding amongst the fruit bites the young woman and she dies in her father’s arms, just as the oracle had predicted. Hence the name Maiden’s Tower.
BeingClickers 