Galata Tower

The Galata Tower is a tall, rounded stone structure topped by a conical roof that looms over the skyline of the Beyoğlu district. Originally constructed by the Genoese in thirteen forty-eight as the Tower of Christ, it served as a defensive watchtower at the highest point of their colony’s fortifications. Over the centuries, the building transitioned through roles including a prison, an astronomical observatory, and a lookout point for tracking fires across the city.